The Girl With The Whistle
by Winchestergirl123
Summary: Skye Lewis was born mute. So even when the world was "normal" she still felt alone. This feeling only increased more when her entire family was attacked, leaving her by herself. Except what happens when a group of survivors find her? Will she finally find a stable place? Will the feeling of loneliness go away? Also why does the boy with the sheriff hat keep staring at her? Carl/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC._**

 _ **A/N:** Hey guys so this is my first Walking Dead fanfic so I apologize if it's not that well written. I just got this idea the other day and since then I just wanted to write and now here we have this story :) The story starts around season 3 and will follow the rest of the seasons. My OC Skye Lewis is a very important character to me. An inspiration for her character, kind of came from my niece. Although she isn't mute she is learning sign language and when she told me she was the idea for this story was born. (: Therefore this story well have a lot of feels in it. I really do hope you guys give it a chance :D Also please don't be afraid to leave a review. Thanks! XOXO._

 _ ***Edited* 11/01/16**_

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 1: Finding the girl with the whistle_**

 _Alone_.

That's exactly how Skye Lewis felt. Then again, she's always felt that way...even when the world wasn't infested with the dead. At least back then, when the world was " _normal_ " she had her family to keep her company. Now she had no one...

Looking out the window from the abandoned house she was currently staying at, she saw the sun making its way up towards the horizon. She had no idea what day, month, or even year it was anymore...the only thing she could actually tell was when it was the morning, afternoon, or night time. Like right now it was morning. She could see the peaceful view that nature displayed for her. She almost expected to hear people doing their morning routines, like driving their cars, grabbing their newspapers, or hearing kids walking to school. But there was no noise. Nothing at all. She knew there wouldn't be...not since the dead started outliving the living.

Nothing was the same anymore.

Skye remembered when the outbreak first happened. Remembered the news stories and how everyone started freaking out about being killed by those... _things_. She knew they weren't human...not anymore anyways.

She was eleven when it started...now she was what? Twelve? Maybe thirteen? She honestly had no idea. She lost track of time after her family's death. There really was no point in keeping track anymore after that. They weren't with her anymore. So, why does her age matter? All that really mattered now was surviving.

Which is exactly what she had been doing. Surviving to see another day in this cruel world. Because that's what the world was now... _cruel_. It was cruel because it took her family away. it was cruel because now _millions_ of people were dead. And it was cruel because...well she was _alone_.

Then again the world had always been cruel to her because...

She was _mute_.

Born and raised that way since birth. Her parents had told her she was born mute because it had something to do with her vocal cords. So ever since she was a baby, she's had to deal with not being able to talk. It was never easy. In fact it was plain hard and _miserable_. Having to grow up with other children who had the ability to talk and laugh was like a slap to the face. Why was she the only one to be like this? It wasn't fair. She knows by now though that the world isn't fair to anyone. Still how she wished that she was able to make some noise. To talk, full on laugh, or even _scream_.

Oh, how much she wanted to scream. Ever since from the first time she saw one of those _things_ , she's wanted to scream. When it tried to eat her, she wanted to yell for help, but she couldn't. Not even a peep came out. And when she thought she was going to die and her life was about to end, her dad got there just in time and killed that monster. He saved her. Ever since that incident, her mother and father knew it wasn't wise to leave her alone. Not with her not being able to give them a signal that she was in danger. So they had her stay real close to them and her older brother William, or as she liked to call him Will.

Skye remembered her brother Will as a real comical kind of guy. Other than her parents, Will was the only one she felt close to. Being mute made her more introverted than the other kids and since none of them wanted to be near the "special kid" as they tended to call her, that left her older brother as her only real friend. But Skye knew, that Will didn't really count as a friend. He was after all her older brother.

Still, she viewed Will as a hero and a role model. Her parents as well. Since they knew it was all about survival and that staying alive and looking out for each other was now the main priority. But because of her "condition" as her mother used to call it, her family always made sure Skye was always kept safe. Her family knew she wasn't like the rest of them. Skye wouldn't be able to call or yell for help in case another one of those _things_ tried to go after her...so they gave Skye something that would help.

Remembering the item that was around her neck, Skye touched it briefly as a memory began playing in her head...

 _It was late at night and the Lewis family were bunkered down in another house they managed to hide themselves in._

 _Skye was still up along with her parents, while William had already passed out on one of the living room couches. Skye understood why though. After all that walking and trying to find a perfect hide away, all she wanted was to sleep too, but her parents had asked her to come have a chat with them. Skye had no idea as to why, but she didn't object._

 _"Skye?" The young girl heard her mother's voice_ _Cecilia say her name. Skye looked at her direction and nodded her head, a signal letting her know she had heard her. Cecilia smiled faintly and took a hold of her hand. "Skye, me and your father want to give you something special."_

 _Special?_

 _What did she mean by special? Skye gave both her parents a perplexed look. She quickly let go of her mother's hand and quickly signed. " **What do you mean special?** " She asked her, using ASL. _

_This time it was her father Victor who had answered. "We want you to be safe...so we came up with an idea that we think will give your mother and I a peace of mind."_

 _" **And what's that?** " Skye asked, once again using her hands to talk to her parents in sign __language._

 _Instead of answering her mother Cecilia pulled out a golden necklace from her pocket...only it wasn't only just a necklace...it was a whistle?_

 _Skye stared at the whistle in bemusement. Why were her parents giving her a whistle? It was beautiful no doubt about that, but what was the point of it?_

 _"I know you must be wondering why we are giving you a whistle." Her mother said interrupting her thoughts, she sighed and gave Skye a meaningful look. "It's so you can use it in case you're in danger and need our help."_

 _Skye furrowed her eyebrows before her mother kept explaining. "Skye, your father, brother, and I won't always be there when you need us and since you can't...well..." Her mother couldn't seem to find the words to say to her. She still hard time accepting her only daughter was mute._

 _"Since you can't yell for help like us, you'll have to use this instead." Her father finished saying giving her a sad smile. "It'll be like a alarm, notifying us when you're in danger and need our help." He said and then gave a warning look. "But only use it in emergencies, okay? If you use it to just make loud noise it'll bring in those things towards us and we don't want that." Victor said keeping eye contact with his daughter. "So, only use it when you absolutely have to alright?"_

 _Skye nodded her head, understanding the rules her parents were telling her because she knew loud noises attracted those things._

 _Once again her mother grabbed her hand, only this time she handed her the whistle. Skye examined it thoroughly and realized that there was a charm on the whistle's chain. She brought the charm closer to her eyes and smiled when came face to face with the pretty bird charm._

 _"Do you like it?" Her mother asked her, and Skye immediately nodded her head. Of course she did!_

 _Cecilia smiled. "Your father and I knew you would. You always did like birds."_

 _Skye smiled a bright smile towards her parents directions and gave them each a hug that was filled with love._

 _She felt her heart ache...how badly she just wanted to say thank you to them. Like actually say thank you with using her voice. Sadly that was impossible._

 _So she did the next best thing._

 _She signed to them that she was thankful and that she loved them with all her heart. And although it was nowhere near the way she wanted to say it, her parents still felt happy and said they loved her in return._

 _Putting on her whistle necklace around her neck...she felt complete._

 _Skye that night feel asleep happy knowing her parents loved her. Except she had no idea that within a couple of days, she would be the only one of the Lewis family to be left alive._

Thinking about that memory was bitter sweet for Skye. It was the last time she had a heart felt moment with her parents, because with in a few days later they died and so did her older lovable brother William.

They had gotten attacked when they were walking through the woods in midday. When a group of those _things_ came out of nowhere and surrounded them. It was unexpected and everything happened so fast...

Her mother had been the first one to get attacked. Getting bit from behind the neck she never had the chance to fight back. The second to go was her father, who was to grief stricken with losing his wife that he failed to notice that he too was being circled by them. Within seconds he too was dead.

Leaving behind only Skye and Will. Immediately, her older brother told her to run as fast as she could, giving her one of his hand guns and pocket knives to protect herself with. He knew he was a goner and all he wanted now was to make sure his little sister was safe. That he had to protect her with all the energy that he had left for one last time. So with a loud yell, he attracted the monsters towards him and ran in the opposite direction And as William Lewis was followed by these things, he knew he did the right thing because he gave his little sister a chance to live.

Skye on the other hand remembered staring at the space where her brother had ran off to in complete aghast. She heard the yells and cries of heer brother as he was being followed by those _evil things_ , knowing...he was now dead too.

She remembered being in a complete mess, in, that she began to silently cry. But even then she knew that she had to leave, otherwise her brother's death would be for nothing.

So she ran and ran until her legs felt like they were on fire. And boy did she remember them hurting so much. But the pain was better than being dead...

It wasn't until it was nearing dawn that she finally stopped, and she didn't know if it was pure luck or something but up ahead outside the forest she saw a line of neighborhood houses. That's where she decided to hide off for a few days. But sadly she couldn't stay there for long because she had no food or water to sustain herself with. She needed to keep moving forward if she wanted to survive.

So for the next several months, or what felt like months, she was on her own. Going into abandoned houses and stores and taking shelter there for a few days, leaving whenever she needed to make another supply run, and killing off those _things_ when she needed to. That was how life was for her...and it seemed endless.

But she was alive...and that's all that mattered right?

She didn't know the right answer for that question anymore.

Coming out of her thoughts, she let go of her whistle necklace and continued to look at the morning sun. She was stalling though, because she knew she had to leave this house. She had been here for a few days now and was running low on supplies. Which meant she had to find a new place to stay at. A place that had food and water, because lately it was beginning to get hard to find those two important items.

Slumping her shoulders, she got up from the window seat. She grabbed her backpack that had inside her few items such as her, hand gun, pocket knife, a few cans of food, and a water bottle that was now almost empty. Although her hand gun no longer had bullets, she still carried it around because it was the last item her brother had given her, just like the knife.

She adjusted her backpack over her shoulder and put on her converse that were beginning to fall apart. Looking down at them she pursed her lips. Perhaps in the next store she'd take shelter in she'll be able to find a pair of shoes in her size.

Glancing back up she continued making her way downstairs and was about to make it down the fourth step when she heard the front door handle jiggle... her eyes went wide in fear. Without even waiting another second she ran back upstairs and went into the master bedroom and closed the door _—_ locking it. Backing a few feet away from the door, she grabbed her backpack and took out her knife, ready to use it in case one of those things broke it down.

She quieted down her breathing as she listened to the front door open, and heard the footsteps as it entered the house. Listening closely though she heard more than one pair of foot steps. She counted...there seemed to be three.

That wasn't good...

She could handle one or two of those things, but if there was more...well she'll put up a fight that's for sure.

With a look of determination she held her knife in a tight grip and listened as the approaching footsteps were now going up the stairs. She listened as two of the pair went into the bedroom that was next door. The other pair was still walking the hallway but froze...and she knew it was standing outside the master bedroom.

Skye took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes as she watched the door handle begin to move. It continued to move but the door wouldn't open. After a few more tries she heard muffled sounds that almost sounded like...voices?

Skye tilted her head.

No those couldn't be voices...those _things_ couldn't talk. She never once heard any of those things talk. All they did were make muffled or groaning noises. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.

She jumped in the place she was standing when the door began to rattle. Whatever or whoever was on the other side was trying to bust it down. Taking deep breaths she readied herself for what was about to happen.

After the third push, the door busted wide open and not even waiting another second Skye lunged forward with her knife ready to stab the monster. A pair of arms though wrapped around her when she went forward and Skye began to fight back. She started swinging her knife around but felt it drop to the floor. So then she began moving around the arms that had her in a tight hold. She thought for sure she was about to get killed and eaten, but a sudden voice made her lessen her movements.

"Whoa! Hold on! I ain't gonna hurt you." Skye fully stopped when she knew for sure it was a voice that belonged to a human. It was a man's voice and he sounded southern.

Once the man felt the young girl stop with her struggling, he slowly let go of her but kept her close to him. He turned her around swiftly and crouched down to be in eye level with her. Skye looked at the man and saw that he was tall and had curly dark brown hair with dark scruff surrounding his face. She squinted her eyes when she saw that he was wearing a sheriff's outfit? Was he a sheriff? Looking back up she saw his blue eyes staring at her.

"Listen my name's Rick, Rick Grimes, alright? And like I said, I'm not going to hurt you." He said and looked over the young girl thoroughly. On closer inspection, he notcied that she looked to be around twelve or so, roughly around the same age as his son Carl. She looked a bit undernourished, but to him that was understandable. Everybody who was still alive nowadays was that way. He also noticed that she had light brownish hair. It was tied loosely in a pony tail and her eyes were a light green color. She had a button nose and he could tell that if she smiled, she most likely would have dimples. Only there was no smile on this young girl's face. No only a look of uncertainty and surprise. And at this Rick furrowed his eyebrows. Surely she wasn't on her own? A young girl like her must have someone with her. Other wise how in world would she have survived this long? She was just a _child_. He needed to know if there others with her.

So with a deep breath he lowered his voice, and questioned her. "What's your name? You look a little to young to be by yourself."

At this Skye frowned.

 _Great_. The only other survive she meets in who knows how long and he wants to talk. Only problem with that was that she couldn't talk and she hardly doubted he knew sign language. I mean who left in the world still knew how to communicate in sign language?

At seeing her silent and with no response to his question, Rick creased his eyebrows. "I just need to know if there's anyone else here with you." Once again there was silence and Rick continued to think it was because she was afraid or maybe shy. So he tried again a softer, kinder voice. "Are you alone?"

At this question, Skye nodded her head.

Rick was the one to frown this time. She was alone? "So there's nobody with you?"

Skye once again nodded her head and she looked up when she heard the foot steps from the other room enter the master bedroom. She became tense again and Rick saw this. He held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "It's okay, they won't hurt you either." He gently reassured her.

Calming down a little bit, Skye got a better view on the two figures. They were both older men. One of them was Asian with dark short hair and dark eyes. He was carrying a gun as well, he had it pointed down though when he came into the room. He was staring at her in what looked like almost a perplexed expression. The other man was a rugged looking and had brown shaggy hair, who instead carrying a gun, had a crossbow. He instead of looking perplexed like the Asian fellow, instead looked at her like he was scrutinizing her.

"This here is Glenn and Daryl." Rick said as he the look of confusion on her face. "They're with me."

The Asian guy who Skye now knew was named Glenn spoke up. "Is she okay?" He asked in concern.

Rick nodded his head. "Yeah she doesn't appear to have any bites or injuries."

"We checked the other areas around the house, but nobody else is here." The other guy named Daryl said in a gruff voice.

"Yeah, I asked if she was by herself and it appears so." Rick informed them.

"What's her name?" Glenn asked Rick.

Rick sighed. "I don't know she hasn't told me."

"What's your name kid?" Daryl asked her.

At this Skye pressed her lips together, frustrated.

After a minute of silence the three men looked at the young girl in bewilderment, not understanding why she wasn't talking. Was she doing it on purpose? Did she just not want to talk to them? Why was she keeping quiet?

"Your name?" Daryl asked again in a firmer voice.

 _Well I have to do something_. Skye thought to herself, trying to come up with an idea on how to communicate with them. She looked over the room trying to see if there was pen or paper somewhere to use but there wasn't.

Great. How was she suppose to tell them her name? Or the fact that she was mute.

So she shook her head slowly.

The three men just stared at her even more perplexed.

"We just want to know your name." Rick said, and Skye heard his southern accent again.

Even more silence.

"What cat got your tongue?" Daryl asked impatiently.

 _Yes, a cat has my tongue._ Skye thought bitterly rolling her eye. Even though she knew that this Daryl guy was probably making a joke, it still caused her feelings to get hurt. But she masked the hurt and instead gave him a glare and slowly nodded her head. This gesture was taken in by the three men.

"Wait." Glenn said, the first to guess on what was wrong, spoke. "You mean you can't...you can't talk?"

At this Skye vehemently nodded her head and gave him a smile in relief. Happy that _somebody_ finally understood.

"At all?" Daryl asked, this time in a placid voice instead of a gruff one.

Skye nodded her head and saw how all the men frowned at this.

"You mean to tell me that a small twelve year old girl who can't talk, who has been on her own for who knows how long, has managed to survive this long?" Daryl asked in disbelief and acclamation could be heard in his voice. He looked impressed. "Huh? Guess we got ourselves a true survivor here."

"So what are we going to do with her?" Glenn asked Rick looking at the young girl.

Rick turned back to face the young girl, who he still hadn't gotten her name. "Well we can't leave her that's for sure." He gave the girl a soft expression. "I know you just met us, but we have a group with other survivors and I think it would be best if you came with us."

At this Skye backed away slowly from the men. A group of survivors? Meaning there were others who were alive? That sounded great! But did she want to go with them? Slowly she touched her whistle around her neck and sighed. Maybe it was perhaps a good idea to go with them...

Rick saw the whistle that was around her neck, an item that he didn't see before. Tilting his head he wondered why she was wearing it? Was it some sort of necklace?

Skye saw that Rick was eyeing her whistle so she quickly hid it, tucking it inside her shirt. She looked back to the three men and thought about Rick's question for a few more seconds before she nodded her head, finally giving him an answer.

Rick looked relieved and faint smile appeared on his face. "Okay, get your stuff and we'll be on our way."

Skye grabbed her backpack that was on the floor, along with her knife as well and made her way towards the three of them. She glanced back at the room one last time before following them out the bedroom door.

Once down the stairs, Skye watched as Glenn and Daryl walked through the front door. She however paused from going outside. She shifted her feet back and forth.

 _This was it..._

Walking out this door meant she was going to be around other people... _new_ people...people she's never even met before. Was she really ready? She had gotten so use to being on her own, that it made her wonder if she was even capable of being in the company of others.

Doubt started to eat her away, when a hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

She looked up and saw a pair of blue comforting eyes.

"Come on kid, let's get you somewhere safer." Rick said to her reassuringly. "Maybe once we meet up with the others you'll finally be able to tell me your name." He said with a jested smile.

Skye smiled back and a sudden idea came into her mind. She raised her finger slowly and pointed it up.

Rick, not fully understanding why she was doing this, squinted his eyes. "The ceiling? What about the ceiling?"

Skye scoffed and shook her head. She pointed her finger again towards the ceiling more forcefully.

 _Okay so if she didn't mean the ceiling, then what did she mean?_ Rick took a second before he guessed again. "You mean the sky?" He asked her.

Skye jumped in place in excitement when he guessed right.

Rick smiled at seeing her so happy. "What about the sky?"

Skye pointed up again and then at herself. It took about two times for her to do this, for Rick to finally understand.

A look of realization hit him. "Your name is Skye, isn't it?"

Skye nodded her head and gave him a bigger smile. Finally he knew!

Rick chuckled lightly. "Well it's nice to finally know your name...Skye."

* * *

 _ **A/N** : So what did you guys think of this first chapter and of Skye's character so far? :) Did you guys like the story behind the whistle and flashback? What did you guys think of her first interaction with Rick, Glenn, and Daryl. Pretty awesome huh? :D Also, don't worry about her not having any Carl scenes in this chapter because she will have a lot in the next one. Which btw what do you think their reactions are going to be when they first see each other :D Hmmmm? Till next time my lovely readers!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC._**

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 2: Meeting the boy with the sheriff hat_**

The sun was blazing hot and the humidity could be felt in the air as the group continued on with their walk through the woods. So far it felt as of they had been walking for an hour now, but then again to Skye nowadays a simple walk felt like days. She managed to maintain her posture as she was walking next to Rick, while Glenn and Daryl were ahead of them by a few steps. It had been quiet except for their echoing footsteps that their shoes caused. It was almost weird for Skye to be walking with living human beings again. For it had been a long time since she had met anyone that was actually _alive. S_ he had to admit to herself though that it felt nice, kinda peaceful too...

Although, she knew even if the peace and quiet was soothing, that didn't just mean they could let their guard down...not with the world they lived in now. They always had to be in constant alarm and ready to fight, because they never knew when one of those... _monsters_ would pop out on them. She guessed that was the reason why _Daryl_ had his crossbow out ready to use. The mere weapon had Skye in a full intrigue mode and every now and again she would let her gaze linger on the weapon too long, causing Daryl to shoot her a questioning gaze. Of course she in return would just gave him a shrug and let him continue on with his walking. In all honesty, she'd never seen a crossbow in person before, which was what had her in complete awe. Its always been either guns or knives, but seeing that weapon like she had seen in the movies was pretty cool. And the fact that he knew how to use one was just as awesome. Skye wondered a bit. Perhaps Daryl had been a hunter before this happened...that would make sense as to why he knew how to use it. Regardless of the weapon, he didn't just look the part of a hunter he just also gave off this vibe that said he knew what he was doing. Like he had been through something like this before. Which made silly sense to her since this was the first time that the world had gotten this _bad_. But maybe something in his life made him super aware of the dangers out in the world. Yeah...maybe that was it, Skye reasoned.

Her light green eyes then landed onto Glenn and yet again she begin to ponder ideas in her mind. _Glenn_ on the other hand...well he didn't look like the type of guy who would go hunting for fun. In fact he looked like he was more on the lean side. Kind of a laid back looking type of guy, with a slight edge hidden inside him, ready to use whenever the time called for it. He also seemed more amiable than Daryl, which was a strange thing to witness. She would of figured that with the world going to the ruins that everyone would of lost their generosity...but yet here was this Asian looking fellow, who along the way had offered his baseball hat to her in case she wanted to wear it to block out the sun. She had kindly shook her head no, but was still surprisingly touched by the gesture. In conclusion she had to say that Glenn was a real swell of a guy, even if the gesture he presented was small there was just something about him that radiated kindness.

And then there was _Rick_...

Skye moved her gaze back to the dark haired man that was walking next to her. What was there to say about him? Well he was a sheriff for one thing. At least that's what she gathered by the uniform he had on. Although she did wonder where his hat was...after all a sheriff's uniform wasn't complete without his or _hers_ hat. Maybe he had lost it a long time ago. But other than that...what else could she say about the blue eyed middle age man? He was rather quiet for most of the walk, checking out the scenery. He asked how she was doing at first and she replied with a stiff nod, indicating that she was fine. This seemed to appease him, relaxing him a bit. On occasion though (well actually more than on occasion) he kept a watchful eye on her. Almost as if it were a father watching after his kid. Which had her instantly missing her parents and brother. Since they too would always give her the same stare. She guessed his reason for the over protectiveness was to make sure she was doing okay. Maybe he thought she was still worrying over the new change. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't. But it was mainly because she was nervous that the rest of the group wasn't going to welcome her with open arms. Not that she expecting them to...after all accepting strangers into a close knit group was a rather risky thing to do. Especially with how harsh the world has gotten. Not that she was a danger or anything to them, she would never hurt a _living_ person. Much less kill someone who was breathing. But they just didn't know her that well to assume differently. Yet she was greatly taken back by how Rick did welcome her with open arms. How he was willing to accept her into his group without even knowing her that well. And that immediately made Skye feel some type of hope. A feeling that she hadn't felt for a long time now. Perhaps the world wasn't as abandoned and cruel as she thought it was. Keeping her gaze towards Rick, she let a small smile appear on her face. She quickly hid it though when he stared back and she made herself focus on the trial they were on. She wasn't one to be caught during her attentive thinking or facial expression moments. That quirk of hers sometimes made her feel embarrassed and she didn't want others to find out about her strange habit. But really in her defense what else could she do? It wasn't as if she could say all these things out loud. To have an actual conversation with them. No the best she could do was to think inside in her own mind or write. But she have didn't a pen, much less a piece of paper to write on. So talking to herself in her head had to do.

Anyways back to the point, her final opinion on Rick was that he was trustworthy guy. And trust to Skye was something you had to earn with time and effort. But now that she actually thought about it...she already did trust all three men by now. She reasoned it was probably because they were the first living people she had seen since her family died, and that they didn't do anything to harm her when they first saw her. No, instead they helped her out. Gave her the choice to come with them into their group and that surely got them her trust. Which was a rare thing...she only hoped that they would be able to feel the same way. Maybe they already had as well? Skye pondered.

She was really in tune with her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the different direction they were going in now. Quickly not wanting to stray behind, she followed the group making way through tree branches and bushes. Once getting passed those obstacles, she noticed how they were now standing in front of an old run down house, right in the middle of the woods. _Huh_? She scrutinized the house closely with narrowed eyes. It looked like it had been abandoned for years now, since the front porch steps looked loose, and the windows looked rusted as well. Still, she would gladly choose this place than to be out in the open where those _things_ could get her. Better to be in doors than to be outdoors. Plus, she herself had stayed in even much worse places with extreme odious conditions. So, no complaints were coming out of her. _Well_...it's not like she could say anything anyways. Skye thought bitterly with a mental eye roll. Sometimes due to how dire things were now, she would briefly forget about her mute condition, _but_ the heavy realization of the truth always ended up finding it's way back, hitting her right in the face. She sighed, aghast and rubbed the sweat off her forehead. Life was just grand, huh?

Silently, the group made their way to the wooden front door and Skye watched as Rick gave the door three solid knocks. She noticed how the knocks sounded like a distinct pattern. One a person would have to memorize. Suddenly though, not even five seconds later, the door was answered by a dark skinned man.

Rick gave the man a nod as he and the rest of them came inside the run down house. Skye heard the door close behind them before she finally moved her gaze towards the middle of the house, where the remaining of the group members were at. She right along noticed the questioning stares they were giving her, while she was taking in everyone that was inside. Along with the dark skinned man who answered the door, there was an elderly looking man at the corner of the house with a young blonde girl who looked to be around sixteen or seventeen. Next to blonde girl was a woman who looked like to be in her early twenties with short brown hair. Skye noticed the similarities between the three, forming the idea that they might be related.

Skye's eyes then landed on another woman with shorter grayish hair. She was staring at Skye in what appeared to be like in shock and disbelief. Maybe it was because the woman hadn't seen a young girl like her for a while now. A young girl who had managed to survive on her own with no adults help or _anyone's_ help. Perhaps, that's were all the woman's dubiety was coming from. But now actually looking at their faces, Skye saw that they were all giving her the same expression. As if thinking the same thing...

A soft voice then spoke up. " _Rick_...?"

Skye turned her attention towards the feminine voice and yet again came into view with another person in the group. This time as she suspected, was a woman. She had long wavy brown hair, but there was something different about her. And that's when Skye noticed it. The small but noticeable bump on the woman's stomach. Seeing this greatly surprised Skye. The woman was pregnant? The thought of a baby surviving this world, let a lone being born into it, had never crossed her mind. Was it possible to raise a baby with the constant dangers lurking out there? Immediately pity began to surge through Skye for this woman.

Rick heard the question Lori asked and spoke up. "Lori...this is Skye. Skye this is my wife Lori." He explained to her and then looked at everyone else who was looking at the young girl in curiosity. No doubt they were wondering who she was and where they found her at. "I found her taking shelter at one of the house we were scoping out, at the far end of the neighborhood." He added to this explanation.

"Was she alone?" Skye heard the woman with the grayish hair ask him.

Rick nodded his head. "Yeah, found her all alone with only her backpack as gear." He shook his head in astonishment. "I have no _idea_ how she managed to survive this long with out any help...but the important thing is that she has." He then lowered his southern voice. "That didn't mean I was just going to leave her by herself again though...that wouldn't be right."

Skye noticed Rick's wife, Lori soften her eyes while hearing this. "No, of course not. You did good bringing her here." She addressed Rick before she looked back towards her, giving her a maternal expression. "It's okay now Skye. You're safe here. How long have you been on your own?"

 _Uh..._

Skye remained quiet, unsure what to do. She couldn't really answer her question.

For one thing she had no clear answer to give her, since she had forgotten how long she'd been on her own. And the second thing was that she couldn't talk back.

Lori titled her head and frowned slightly when she noticed the young girl's cumbersome silence. Was she shy?

Rick noticed the incommodious not only coming his wife but from everyone else in the room and knew he had to explain about Skye's condition."She can't talk..." He said as gently as possible, not trying to make Skye feel uncomfortable or embarrassed.

"At all?" Lori asked and Skye could hear the sympathy her voice held. At this Skye answered her question with a rigid nod making Lori now give full on sad expression. She wasn't the only one though, as everyone else was giving her similar looks as well. Skye then noticed the blonde girl near the elderly man step up towards her. The blonde locked her blue eyes with her green eyes. "Do you know sign language?" She suddenly asked her with a very sweet-sounding voice.

Skye eagerly nodded her head, making her loose pony tail swift around.

Skye then saw the blonde girl let out a relieved smile. "I think I might be able to help with the communicating. I use to volunteer at church with the deaf and disabled children. My skills might be rusty, but I think I can understand well enough to interpret."

She knew sign language? That was great! Skye thought boasting in the inside and then tested her by asking the question of what her name was.

The blonde girl smiled. "My name's Beth." She said answering her question and then looked towards the elderly man and the woman with short brown hair. "That's my dad Hershel and my older sister Maggie" She said introducing them.

 _I knew they were related!_ Skye thought in her mind. They had similar facial features that it had to be true. She then moved her gave towards Hershel and Maggie and saw how they gave her a welcoming smile. Skye gladly returned it. She then moved her gaze onto the woman with grayish short hair and nodded towards her. At first the woman seemed confused by the gesture, before she finally understood what she meant. "Oh, I'm Carol." She said after a few seconds of silence and offered her a small smile as well. Skye slowly returned the smile of appeasement towards her.

Turning back around Skye looked towards the dark skinned man that had answered the door. She tilted her head at him and nodded his way, indicating him to tell her his name. The man right away understood what she meant and spoke up. "Names T-Dog."

 _T-Dog?_ Skye thought in bemusement and furrowed her eyebrows, giving him a full on, _"Are you serious stare?"_

In return T-Dog just chuckled, not at all bothered by her straightforwardness. In fact that's all he did. He didn't say a word and just chuckled lowly at her expression. Skye figured he was more of the strong and silent type. She had to agree that it did fit his personality pretty well.

Rick's voice then caught her attention. "It's just the ten of us. Well actually eleven now that you've joined us." He informed her.

At this Skye was confused. _Eleven?_ How could there be eleven if there was only ten people in the room. Did he mean eleven because of the baby?

Rick saw the confused face she had on and it was then he noticed someone wasn't in the room with them. "Where's Carl?" He asked Lori.

 _Carl?_

Skye's mind gears were turning. Who was Carl?

Lori was about to answer his question, when all of a sudden a voice rang out. "I'm here."

Skye turned towards the stairs and saw a boy who looked to be around her age or a year older than her come down. She tilted her head in complete intrigue. She hadn't seen anyone close to her age for a long while now. Sure there was Beth, but she was a teenager that was probably four or five years older than her. No, this boy right here was the first person she'd seen close to her age area. The boy named _Carl_ stepped on the last step and made his way towards the group. "I was checking upstairs again for any supplies we might have missed." He said looking towards Rick before his gaze landed right onto hers. Skye stared in slight awe now that he was closer. She could see that he had deep blue eyes, light freckles that were scattered all over his face cheeks, and brown shaggy hair. But what immediately caught her attention was the hat he was wearing. It was the missing sheriff's hat! The one piece that was missing from Rick's uniform. Why was _he_ wearing it?

Carl noticed the staring from the mysterious girl that was next to his dad. He looked at her in complete curiosity. Who was she? He'd never seen her before. Had they managed to find someone alive while out searching for supplies? If so then where was the rest of her group? Or was she on her own? No that couldn't be. She was just a girl! She looked around to be his age, or maybe even a year younger. She was still shorter than him though, but she maintained a good posture. He also noticed while staring at her, that she had light green colored eyes. Her hair that was tied in a loose ponytail behind her, showed him that she had light brown hair. Although it looked more like honey colored hair. It was actually a very pretty color...he shook his head in annoyance. What kind of thoughts were those? He peeked at the girl again, and noticed that she was still staring at him in bemusement.

Carl averted his gaze from the girl and looked towards his dad. "Dad...um who's _she_?"

 _Dad_? Rick was his dad? Skye widen her eyes a bit from hearing this. That meant that Lori was his mom as well. Skye felt a ting of jealousy hit her stomach from realizing this. He was lucky enough to have his mom and dad here with him but she wasn't? Immediately though she scolded herself. That was an improper thing to think about...she had no idea what kind of misfortunes him and his family have been through just to be with each other. What any of these people have been through...

Rick looked between Carl and Skye. "This here is Skye. Found her all alone during are scavenging." He explained to his son. "I didn't want to leave her behind and figured that it be better if she came back with us."

Carl looked at Skye in disbelief before he spoke up. "You were by yourself? How in the world did you manage to last this long?" He asked in complete curiosity, yet there was a hint of awe in his voice.

Skye wanted to say it was because of pure dumb luck, but she stayed silent and looked away from him.

Carl frowned when he noticed that she moved her gaze away from him. Her silence left him feeling unease. Why wasn't she talking? Had he insulted her or something?

Rick saw how uncomfortable Skye was and spoke up. "Carl, she, uh, can't talk." He said as placidly as possible, not wanting to further Skye's discomfort.

"What do you mean?" Carl asked, not understanding at all.

At this Skye sighed sadly. It wasn't his fault though. He probably has never met someone who was unable to talk before...

"She's mute Carl." Rick told him acutely, wanting to end his confusion.

"Oh...you mean she can't...not even a little?" Carl stuttered for a few seconds before he looked back at the girl with sorrow.

Skye heard his jumbled up question and shook her head, giving him a silent no.

Seeing her shake her head made Carl speechless. _Literally_. He had never met a mute person before in his life, not even before walkers took over the earth. In fact he plain out forgot that the world had other disorders, besides from becoming one of those _things_. But now here was a girl in front of him who couldn't talk back or even say a single word to him, and here he was gaping at her like a fish with its mouth wide open. He right away noticed the stiff way she was standing and how her face showed a tinge of blush. Which was most likely from being out on the spot by him. He felt like a jerk now. "I _—_ I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you feel...well..." He said trying to apologize to her, but ended sounding like a complete fool.

Skye saw how he was fumbling with his apology and she couldn't help but let out a smile due to his bashfulness. It was kind of funny on how he thought she was going to be mad at him. She wasn't. She might of felt a little embarrassment but that was always there, wasn't his fault. Then deciding to ease things up for him, she playfully lowered the sheriff's hat until it covered his eyes, causing her to grin frivolously.

Carl was slightly taken back by the sudden action, but he let out a laugh as he fixed his hat back into place. When he looked back towards her he saw the grin she had on and he had to return it back. She had a contagious smile.

"I think that means there are no hard feelings." Rick spoke up causing everyone to laugh or ease up at the scene in front of them.

Carl looked back towards Skye and saw how she shrugged her shoulders trying to act nonchalantly as possible. He in return just gave her an amused expression. She might not been able to talk...but she sure had a way of making things clear. Besides, to him actions spoke louder than words. Letting his gaze linger on her face he felt a wave wash through him. Yeah...he had a feeling she was going to be quite the addition to the group and to him as well...

Skye continued to smile as she looked at Carl. She saw how he was staring at her attentively almost as if he were trying to memorize her image. In return she simply stared back him doing the same. She couldn't help but feel relief though, especially since him and the rest of the group had gladly accepted her in. She felt real lucky that she had met Rick. If she hadn't she would still be on her own, struggling to survive. But now here she was with this close knit group, where she was finally able to find someone who would help her communicate with others, and the plus of having someone close to her age. Skye let a gleeful smile slowly appear on her face as she stared at Carl and felt happiness. It was a foreign feeling for her since she hadn't felt that in a long time. But now all thanks to this group she was getting a slice of that experience again. Looking around the room she took everyone in. Rick, Lori, Glenn, Daryl, T-Dog, Hershel, Beth, Maggie, Carol, and last but not least Carl. This was her new group now and she was glad to be apart of it. She couldn't help but feel that she and Carl out of the whole group were going to get along just fine. She let her eyes land onto his blue eyes and felt warmth go up towards her cheeks as he gave her another smile.

 _Yeah..._

She smiled at him again.

The boy in the sheriff's hat and her were going to get along just fine together.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Hey, so how'd you guys like chapter two? I know I took forever to upload this chapter and for that I apologize! Thanks to those who have stuck around (: Means a lot to me! I'll try to upload the next chapter faster! Also in case you guys are confused about the timeline this story begins months before season three. I wanted to get in a few chapters before season three because I wanted my OC to have some time with the characters. Especially with Carl. (: Also for my wonderful followers out there I'm working on True Blood Godric/OC story, that I plan to release later on. Just an FYI. (; Anyways did anyone else find it cute how Skye was analyzing everyone in the group especially Carl? The boy in the sheriff hat ;) *Hehe* :D There will be more scenes with them in the upcoming chapters! Okay, anyways thanks for those who are loyal to this story and I hope you guys liked this new chapter! Have a nice day or goodnight. (:_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC._**

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 3: Growing feelings and understandings_**

It had been about month since Skye had met and officially joined Rick's group. Well, at least she thought it had been a month. The honey colored haired girl tried her best to keep track of the days now. When she had been on her own the number of days didn't matter to her. But since meeting everyone in the group, Skye had gotten back the motivation that she had lost to keep track of the day. She had reason to believe it was because she wanted to know how long she was with the group, but she especially wanted to keep track of the days that she had been spending with Carl.

 _The boy with the sheriff's hat..._

Essentially, Skye was intrigued by Carl the most. He was the closest person who was in her age group. Not to mention he was...what's the word Skye would use? Ah, yes, skillful. He was skillful when it came to the act of surviving.

Then again Skye knew he had to be. She just felt like she wasn't alone anymore, because there was finally someone who was like her. _Well_...sort of. He was of course a boy and then there was the dire fact that he could actually talk. But that notable detail was something that at first bothered her. But as time passed it became less of a issue. Because it was proven the more she spent time with Carl, the more she began to like him. He didn't treat her like a invalid because of her disability. In fact no one in the group treated her that way. Sure maybe a few of them—Skye wasn't going to point out any names—worried for her, but none of them gave her an actual reason to feel useless or vapid.

But it was Carl who made her feel a bit more equal to everyone else. She had a feeling that he knew she was able to handle herself pretty well. She didn't after all survive a long time by herself. And Carl took note of this, from when they met. He didn't make her feel like a porcelain doll. No, he instead treated her just like he would with any other survivor. And that was something Skye appreciated. _A lot._

It was because of the way he treated her, that Skye felt the most closest to him. She spent most of her time with him anyway. Whether it was patrolling the grounds they were at, searching for food or water, or even if they were just trying to pass time. She mostly stayed close to him. It reminded her of simpler times...made her feel like an actual person her age. Even with the crappy situation they were in, Carl managed to being her a sense normality. For a while anyways. Because the fact was they still lived with those creatures roaming around them. Danger surrounding every corner. Meaning Skye didn't take any time spent with Carl for granted.

Skye would of thought for sure that Carl would of gotten annoyed or bored with her. That he would of lost interest because of her lack of voice. But much to her relief the boy in the sheriff's hat didn't find her the least boring, let alone annoying. There was even times when she would catch him staring at her. Once she returned the stare she saw how he quickly looked away. Or there was even times where he tried playing it off with a smile. Skye found this odd...but none the less she concluded that it was because he was probably trying to figure her out. And frankly Skye thought that he was trying to determine on what she was thinking about based on her facial expressions. And he really didn't take long in guessing on what she was trying to say. He somehow always knew. But sadly she wasn't really able to communicate with him or anyone of group by using sign language.

Well except for Beth. She was the only person Skye was able to actually communicate with sign language. So whenever Skye needed or wanted to say something to the group, she always went to Beth. And because of this, Beth became her official interpreter. A position that Beth took to heart, since the blonde had been nice and caring since their meeting.

Skye quickly found out that Beth's sign language wasn't exactly one hundred perfect, but it was enough for the blonde to understand her. Allowing her to communicate back to the group, letting them know what Skye wanted to say.

Unfortunately, the rest of the group didn't know sign language themselves. So they had to try their best in understanding Skye, whenever Beth wasn't around. Because of this, most conversations with the girl mostly consisted of simple yes or no questions, a response that only needed a shake or a nod, a shrug from her shoulders, or hand motions. There were time when Skye just listened to them. She'd listened to them talk or rant. She was good at that. _Listening_. It helped her get to know the other person real well. Which was another thing she was good at. Observing and reading people straight up front. She'd learn things about each and everyone of them. It was actually interesting getting to know people's back ground stories. For example she remembered the time Glenn was telling her his story of how he use to be a pizza delivery guy. Which was something Skye found to be amusing...she'd never thought he was a pizza guy. But nonetheless, it proved that his skills around knowing the city of Atlanta were useful. He mentioned how he had saved Rick's life, when the sheriff got stuck in a tank. Now that indeed was an interesting story, but it also showed Skye how close everyone in the group was with each other. It allowed her to know what they've been through together.

Along with Glenn, Skye had gotten to know everyone else. Slowly but gradually. Some still kept to themselves. Like Daryl...he was a puzzle to Skye. He was a survivor that was for sure...but she really didn't know anything about him. His story at least. He was a closed book. In a way he kind of reminded her of herself. She was never the one to express her feelings. She would use keep to herself in school. The only people she allowed to know what she was really feeling was her family...but they weren't here with her anymore. She was real hard to crack sometimes. Always playing away her emotions and such. But she wasn't as hard in her exterior like Daryl was, but she was a pro in hiding what she was really feeling. But since meeting the group there was only one person who was able to see through her _"I'm fine"_ facade. And that was Carl.

Didn't matter if Skye hid her facial expressions, Carl was still always able to tell if she was really okay or not. He was also the only one to make her feel better. Even if it were in the slightest...he still had the ability to make her crack a small smile. An action that she was beginning to get use to again.

Overall, Beth might of been able to interpret for her, but it was Carl whose really able to read and fully understand her emotions thoroughly.

The group though didn't give her any reason to have doubts about if they liked her not. They weren't harsh or rude. In the contrary they were the complete opposite.

T-Dog was quiet, yet kind. Something Skye found to be soothing.

Glenn was still the same gentle hearted guy towards her. Still offering his hat to her whenever they had to walk in the heated sun.

Maggie and Hershel were compassionate to her as well.

While Beth was gentle and patient with her. The blonde girl sometimes sang for her and the rest of the group. Which Skye found out that the youngest Greene had a very lovely voice.

And Daryl...well Skye was still trying to figure him out. To her he was this mysterious experienced hunter. He was guarded that was for sure...but maybe one day she would be able to really know him.

Carol though...well out of everyone in the group, Carol was probably the one person Skye had spent less time with. Well besides Daryl. But with Carol...Skye sensed something doleful with her. Like she had lost something...because whenever the older woman looked at her, Skye could see something broken in her eyes.

It wasn't until Carl explained to Skye the reason why Carol was so distant with her that she finally understood. He had told to her that Carol once had a daughter named Sophia. But that she had sadly died. Skye figured that in some way she reminded Carol of her daughter. And because of that Skye understood...she wasn't hurt in anyway. Besides Carol hadn't treated her badly. She just couldn't look her in the eye for no more than a few seconds. The pain of losing her daughter still affected her deeply. Loosing a loved one was heart shattering. Skye could only hope that one day Carol wouldn't feel any pain whenever she looked at her.

As for Rick and Lori. Well they became in a way sort of like parental figures to her. With Lori already being a mother herself, and with another child on the way, she had a maternal instinct surrounding her. And Rick...well even with out trying he already treated Skye with benignity and understanding. Kind of like a father would do...  
Though every time Skye thought of them like parental figures, a sense of sadness and guilt washed through her. Making her relive the loss of her own parents and of her older brother Will...

But every time this occurred Skye did what she did best. Which was to hide away her mournful feelings. Not wanting the other in the group to see her sadness. She did this whenever the tears threatened to come out. And it worked every time and she was able to get away with it.

Except for the time that Carl had caught her in one of her wretched moments.

When she had seen the boy in the sheriff's hat, she had tried her best to shrug off his concern, making it seem like her tears were no big deal. She made a hand motion and rolled her eyes. All while she kept thinking in her head. _"Please go away...I don't want you see my tears. I don't want you to think I'm weak."_

But despite her attitude, Carl didn't budge from where he was at and actually came closer towards her, giving her the thing she needed...comfort. Offering kind words that made Skye's heart and eyes swell up with solace.

 _"Sometimes we can't store away our emotions Skye...sometimes you just have to let someone know what you feel."_

Skye knew what he meant by that and surprisingly...she took his advice.

Because Skye, the girl who had hid what she was really feeling, finally displayed her true emotions. And it was in that very same day that she let herself be vulnerable in front of Carl. Allowing herself to lay her head on his shoulder for the first time. As they stared out the window from the house they were taking shelter at, watching the sunset together in harmony.

Skye didn't need to talk to show what she was feeling, because Carl understood her.

It was in that moment, as the two of them were in a comforting silence, watching the sunset, that Skye felt something blooming within. Feelings that were growing towards Carl...she didn't for sure what they were exactly. Maybe feelings leading to a better friendship? A closer one? She didn't know...all she knew was that she liked being around him. He made her feel...elated. Even more so when she felt him take a hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. It was because of this action that Skye felt her face warm up. She found this odd...never had a boy made her blush before. It was a new feeling for her...but why was it happening now?

This question kept roaming around in her head. That was until the tender hearted moment was over once they had to return back to the others. Before they left though Carl gave her a smile, one that Skye shyly returned back to him.

The young girl though couldn't stop thinking about him that night. She couldn't help but feel actual contentment from the comfort and sereneness he had provided for her. It was something no one had been able to give her...not since her family had died. But surprisingly he was able to...

And who would of thought that the girl who wasn't able to talk, would actually find someone who completely understood her...and who happened to be none other than the boy with the sheriff's hat.

That night Skye didn't have trouble sleeping. In fact when she fell asleep she had on a soft calm expression on her face...all while she dreamt of a certain boy.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! This chapter was small but filled with fluff. I felt that after watching last nights episode, we all really needed a break. I mean if you haven't seen the episode...yikes. I feel that our young pair need a little happiness right now. Especially Carl. Anyways, I'll try to upload the next chapter sooner. I have a few ideas in mind on what I want the next chapter to be about. Spoiler alert...it might have Skye spend some time with Daryl ^_^ which is something I am excited to write about. I want Skye to have a few moments with each of the characters before we officially go on with season 3. I want Skye to have a connection with everyone, but especially with the boy in the sheriffs hat. *blushes* Anywhoooo, till next time my lovely readers!_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC._**

 ** _I also do not own any of superheros or their comics that are mentioned in this chapter._**

 ** _A/N:_** _Sorry for the long wait guys...but here's the next chapter(: I know I also said that Skye was gonna have a scene with Daryl, but that's not in this chapter. Perhaps in the next one! Sorry! I just really wanted to give you guys a new chapter. I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Still enjoy the chapter!_

 ** _P.S._** _Is a_ _nyone else excited for the new season of **The Walking Dead?** Cause I am! Gah!_

 ** _*Edited* 10/16/2016_**

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 4: If only things were simple_**

Skye huffed lowly as she jadedly loaded another can of beans into her bag.

 _I'm getting sick and tired of eating beans. At this point I'll even settle with eating a can of carrots. Just no more beans please..._

Skye inwardly thought to herself as she and a few of the others were currently roaming around the abandoned convenience store they scavenging at.

This one was the fourth store they've checked out this passed week. The other previous three barely had any food items for them. The most they found their were a couple of trampled cans. And can you guess what kind of canned goods they were? That's right... _beans_. Which they still took anyways. It was better than having nothing. Especially since it was getting harder and harder to find any canned foods. Or _any_ particular kind of food in general. Which of course wasn't a good thing for _various_ reasons. The main one was that they had a pregnant woman in their group. And Skye knew that when a woman was pregnant, she needed to eat to ensure the health for her and her baby. Nutrition and all that. If she didn't, that wouldn't be good for the baby's well-being.

And Skye had been noticing how Lori's belly had been growing, more than it already was when she first met her. Meaning she was moving further into her pregnancy. And the further she got, the more precaution she needed to take with how she handed herself. But the food situation was the main concern everyone had.

So really, Skye had to thank the universe, God, or whoever gave them the luck of finding a store that finally had more than just canned beans. Because this particular store had a little bit more for them to take. They of course didn't step foot inside the store until Rick and Daryl cleared it from those monsters–or as Skye found out they were called– _walkers_. Too her though they'll always be known as _monsters_. Anyways, after Rick and Daryl, gave them the okay signal, she along with Carl, Glenn, and Maggie, came in. The rest of the group members were waiting back at the house they were staying at for the moment. Skye knew that location wouldn't be permanent. It was just a temporary hide out. They had been doing this for a while now. Find an empty house or store, rest, look around the area for food or any materials, and then leave to go somewhere else to do the same.

To Skye it would of been great to find a place. A special place that would be their main hideout. Maybe even call it a home of some sorts...but she knew calling a place home now was ridiculous. Plus she knew the difficulty of actually finding a stable and safe place. But she also knew that they needed it. Especially when the time came for Lori to have the baby. She'd seen how stressful Rick had been getting to find that unique type of a safe haven...for everyone and the baby. But so far they hadn't come across any reliable contenders. All the houses and stores were not walker proof. Skye right away could tell that if they were to have stayed in those places, the monsters would have been able to reach them easily.

Carl once told Skye that before they got into the situation they were in now, the group had actually been living at a farm. It had been Hershel's farm. Carl also told her it had been big and homey. It was away from the city, creating a safe distance from any of those walkers. But alas the farm house was no longer an option to stay at. She remembered Carl also telling the brutal ending of how their time there came to an end...she was only glad that he along with everyone she'd come to know came out unharmed.

But if they were able to find a place like the farm, then that would of been perfect for Lori and baby, and for everyone else. Nobody would ever have to worry about being attacked by those _monsters..._ except the only problem was finding that place.

Skye shook her head. Her loose pony tail flopped from side to side. She really need to focus and continue on with her food search. Even if all she was able to find was old canned beans... _ugh_.

Because unfortunately for her she hadn't had the luck of finding something new. Everyone else though was. She distinctly heard Glenn cheer when they came inside, saying he found canned soups. Maggie found a couple of canned vegetables. Rick and Daryl hit the jack pot when they found potato slices. Even Carl participated in this, since he who found a mixture of several of the items. And then their was Skye, who all she was able to find was canned beans!

Inwardly she really shouldn't be complaining since it wasn't really a bad thing. It was after all _food_. And it wasn't like she be the only one eating the beans. They all shared with the group with what they found. But she just wanted to contribute more than just beans. They were all probably tired of beans just like her by this point.

Therefore with swift movement, Skye quietly moved towards the back of the store. She figured since everyone else was at the front, that perhaps their were more materials to find. It never hurt to look. Besides the store was clean from the monsters so she was good to explore.

Once she got to the back she right away saw how muddled it was. No doubt it was from when people were running around grabbing stuff and such. Still...she needed to at least look around. Maybe during the panic and chaos people dropped items on the floor.

She carefully pushed around the items that were on the floor, looking under or around them. There were empty bottled of waters and soda cans. Expired food was scattered around the floor as well. And because of that, it smelled quite gross. She wrinkled her nose when she saw what she believed was a banana? She wasn't so sure anymore. _Eww_. She stepped away from the expired food, not wanting her boots to step on it. She didn't want the boots that Carl had so nicely gotten for her a couple of weeks ago, to be covered in old smelly banana remains.

Her lips curled up when she thought of the simple gift Carl had given her. Sure it was just boots...hiking boots to be more specific, but he _gave_ them to her. He made an effort to find her foot wear, because the old sneakers she had before didn't fit her anymore. And it wasn't like she was complaining about them. She made sure to keep her shoe wear her own personal problem to deal with. She was going to find her own shoes, but one day when Carl came from searching for materials with the group, he brought along a pair of black hiking boots. He apologized, saying he couldn't find her _exact_ shoe size, but that he managed to find one that was pretty close.

 _"I'm sorry, I'd tried finding your size, but, I, uh, couldn't. I hope these can still work out though..."_

Those were the exact words he said to her. And honestly, Skye didn't care that they weren't her exact size. Sure they were a bit loose on her feet, but they were tolerable. Plus they were more comfortable than her old shoes. Plus they were hiking boots, which meant taking all those long walks would be easier. But what really mattered to her was that _Carl_ picked them out. He didn't have to go out of his way to find her shoes, but yet he did. And Skye made sure to thank him for that. So she was in no way going to get mushy banana on them. Sure her foot wear might have stepped on other gross stuff, but she avoided the most she could. Therefore, she was for sure going to avoid stepping on that icky banana. She would treasure these boots the most she could.

Putting some distance from the expired banana pile, Skye looked towards the side and scanned the battered shelves that remained. The top ones that were still there were empty. Skye sighed at this, clearly disappointed.

Just as she was about to head back towards the others, she let her eyes wander towards the bottom shelf and that's when she saw it. Her light green eyes widen at her sudden discovery. She almost couldn't believe it and inwardly dared to pinch herself. She didn't end up doing that though. She did blink a couple of times before she bent down towards the shelf and grabbed the item that she believed was the most precocious thing in the whole world. At least right now...because it kind of was. To her at least. Her face lit up with joy and she smiled at her stared at this item in awe.

A medium size can of fruit. Yes, that's right _fruit_.

She found fruit. Well it was canned, but still it was _fruit_. After gaining composure of her giddiness, it kind of amused Skye to a certain point. Never in her whole life would she have thought that she'd actually get happy to find a can of fruit. It's baffling how her life or rather _life_ in general has become. How small can of fruit can cause great joy to someone.

Because all Skye was thinking about was how she found something other canned beans to eat.

 _Yes! Success!_

Skye thought joyfully. She was about to out the can inside her bag, when a sudden familiar voice spoke up.

"Hey, what you got there?"

Skye jumped a bit. Even though she knew right away that was Carl talking, his sudden appearance surprised her. She didn't hear him come towards her. Which was odd because she had excellent hearing skills. She quickly rationalized that maybe she was too distracted with her joy of finding the canned fruit that she became unaware of her surroundings. Not the smartest move. She was just thankful no " _walkers_ " were lurking in here. She turned to around and came face to face with him. He was sprouting his typical outfit along with his sheriff's hat. His shaggy brown hair fell below his ears and she wanted to push away the long pieces of hair that were close to covering his blue eyes. She felt a familiar feeling enter her and she quickly shook it away. She passed this feeling due to her startled jump and concluded it to nothing else.

Meanwhile, Carl who saw her mini jump, gave her a bashful smile. "Sorry." He quickly apologized. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Skye returned the smile and made a nonchalant move with her shoulders. Reassuringly, letting him know it was alright and not to dwell on it.

Carl felt a bit better, but his attention return to the item she had in her hands. "So what'd you find?" He asked her again.

Skye once again inwardly beamed inside. She lifted the can of fruit towards him and practically jumped in place.

Carl saw how eager she looked as she showed him the canned item she found. It was dare he say...cute. She looked cute. He inwardly shook this thought away and instead focused on what exactly she found, and that was when he saw noticed what it was.

"Fruit?" Carl exclaimed in content. "You found canned fruit? Skye that's awesome! It's been a while since any of us has actually had fruit."

Skye felt great that she had managed to find something everyone would like. No more boring old beans...

She opened up her bag and gently put the can inside. She zipped it up and looked towards Carl again who was smiling at her again. She felt a little bit bemused but once again returned the gesture.

Carl laughed lightly at her expression. "So, guess what I found?" He asked her.

Skye pondered a moment making a thinking face for show. In reality she already knew. It was canned goods. What else? But she decided to take this moment to be witty with him. So she hurriedly took out the mini note pad she had and a pen. The note pad was something she used it whenever Beth wasn't around to interpret. It was another way for her to communicate with the others. Like right now. Sure sometimes hand gestures and facial expressions would do just fine, but other times she needed to express herself more freely. Except right now, since she just wanted to be cheeky with Carl.

So she scribbled onto the note pad and showed it to him. Inwardly feeling pleased with herself.

 ** _A million dollars?_**

Carl playfully rolled his eyes at her. "No...but close." He said to her before he pulled something out from his own backpack he was carrying.

Skye did a double take and her mouth flew open. Yet again, excitement entered her system.

It was a chocolate bar.

As in... _chocolate_.

Skye kept looking back and fourth from the chocolate to Carl, silently asking the question of, "How?!"

Carl right understood her what she was asking thanks to her facial expression. "Found it underneath the cashier counter. Happened to be the only one left." He unwrapped the chocolate bar and broke it in half. He then gave one half, the bigger half towards her. Skye shyly began to shake her head but Carl gently stopped her protests. "No, come Skye you know the drill. We share, remember?"

Which was true. Along with the group food, Carl and her agreed to share any kinds of candies they'd find with each other. Last time it had been her who found a Big Kat chocolate bar. But that had been weeks ago.

But that was clearly something Carl still remembered, since that was the next thing he mentioned to her.

"Besides I still owe you for that Big Kat." He said to her as if to make her feel better about eating the piece of chocolate. Even though there was nothing wrong with eating it. But he guessed it might of made her feel less guilty doing so. In all honestly he saw nothing wrong with her eating the chocolate. He was sharing it with her and he wanted her to have half of it. So he waited until she took the piece of chocolate, which she did and then took a bite of his own piece.

Skye savored the taste of the chocolate. It tasted a little old but it was still good. She leaned against one of the steady shelves, wanting to relax for a bit.

Carl did the same thing, as he moved a bit closer to Skye. Silence surrounded them with only the chewing from them eating chocolate could be heard. He glanced towards the honey colored hair girl and he studied her closely. The one item that always had him gazing at was the whistle looking necklace she had on her neck. He's always seen her wearing it. Ever since the moment he met her. He knows why she wears it though. She told him that her parents had given it to her as a way for her to alert them in case she was ever in danger. All she needed to do was blow the whistle. He has never seen her use it though. Not that she needed to her since he was there to protect her from any danger. Still it was quite the necklace and the bird charm that was on it really made it one of a kind. And besides the necklace itself was a part of her in a way.

But besides looking at her whistle, it was her face that really set his stomach in cartwheels. She looked quite peaceful right now...not too serious nor guarded. And despite the crud situation they were in, she still somehow managed to look...nice. Pretty...

Just as he was having these thoughts on her, Skye turned to face him. She tilted her head at him, not at all understanding his staring.

Embarrassed by the fact that he had been caught, Carl quickly went into nonchalant mode. He finished his piece of course before he coughed and composed his inner feelings. "So what do you think Skye?" He asked her trying to be cool and proceeded to ask a question to move on. " _Batman or Superman_?"

Skye who in return felt bemused by his gaze, waited until she was down with her own piece of chocolate to respond. She stared evenly towards Carl and released a smile. She then used both of her thumbs and index fingers to make the letter _W_. That right away should of given Carl the clue onto which superhero she _really_ liked.

Carl felt impressed by her answer.

" _Wonder Woman_? Hmm, so you think she could take them?" He asked her, even though he already knew her answer towards the female superhero's victory.

Skye scribbled on the notepad and Carl looked at it again. He laughed when he saw how she wrote down that yes she could.

Carl's laughter held nothing but content. It was carefree. Skye more than anything wanted to join, but knew she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to. So she just Carl laugh though made Skye go back to a time when things had been simple.

She thought back to when she was younger. Around her elementary school years. She remembered how she loved reading the _Wonder Woman_ comics. She even dressed up as her once for Halloween. It was quite the costume and she absolutely loved pretending to be her.

Skye's love for superheros though was passed down from her big brother William. Since he too happened to be a huge comic book nerd. Kind of like Carl. At first she was too young to understand the fiction world of superhero. It didn't really phase Skye. But as she grew up, Skye found the idea of superheros to be really interesting. Especially _Wonder Woman's_ story. And her brother being the big brother that he was back then taught her everything he knew about comics and superhero characters. She was amazed by how much he knew and he really taught her a lot. But since his passing and since the world got overtaken by these... _monsters_...Skye hadn't had time to dwell over silly things like superhero talk, let alone comics. She had to admit though...she missed it. If only things were this simple...but she knew they couldn't. Not for long anyways. There were moments, short moments, like these were she and Carl talked like the kids they were supposed to be. But sadly those moments always ended fast...like right now.

The small break from the real world was over when they heard the group calling for them. They hurriedly made their way towards them. With Skye right away showing the medium size fruit can she found. And once again she felt proud with herself.

Although she felt sad that the carefree moment she had with Carl was over. The only thing she could do now was to just take the moment they had together and keep it safely hidden away in her dear memories.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer**_ : ** _I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC._**

 ** _A/N:_** _Guys, I wasn't going to update so soon, but after the season seven premiere episode, I think we could all agree we need some comfort in our lives. Especially with what happened. Glenn was one my favorite characters on the show. I kind of had a feeling he was going to die though because I read the comics. But man...watching him die like that was rough and emotional. Ahh it hurts to even write about it. :( Gosh, this season just started and I'm already an emotional wreck! The good thing though is that we still have the rest of the season to see how things play out, and hopefully the group will get their vengeance for Glenn and for Abraham's death._

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 _ **Chapter 5: A close call and losing a baseball hat**_

Another day just meant another day worth exploring.

Another day of trying to survive...

Unfortunately for Skye—along with everyone else in the group—today happened to be very _hot_. More so than usual. So that blew. But it specifically sucked more for a certain few individuals. Which included Rick, Daryl, Carl and Skye. _Why_? Well because they were the lucky four who volunteered to go check out some of the other houses near the place they were momentarily taking shelter at. Which was where everyone else was at. A small one story house. It was already abandoned, so there was boarded windows. Which was just a plus for all of them. All they needed to do was double-check the inside from any walkers, clear it if need be, and then barricade any openings so that no walkers would get in. Now the downside to the place the group had taken shelter at, was that it had no resources. It had been weeks now since they last found some decent amount of food. The canned foods they had, dwindled down fast. And much to Skye's dismay, the canned fruit she found was one the first to be finished. It shouldn't have been surprising for her, but it was. She'd guess it was because of the fact that a simple food item can lift someone's spirit. Sadly that same uplifting spirit the group had, was now heavily decreasing. Therefore the solution was to just find more food.

Hence why they were out scavenging.

But it was easier said than done. That's for sure.

Especially in this heat. Except you'd think that by now the heat would be no problem. This was Georgia after all, so the weather really shouldn't have been a bother. But honestly, who likes walking around in weather reaching up to hundred degrees? Exactly...no one. Sometimes though, what you like or don't like has to be put to the side and instead focus on the important matter.

And the important matter here was searching for resources.

Luckily for Skye, she was well dressed for extreme sunny weather. She now had thanks to a clothing scavenging trip a while back, a few tank tops, t-shirts, and short sleeve flannels. Unfortunately she didn't find any shorts, so jeans would have to do. Which was exactly what she was wearing right now. A pair of dark blue jeans, a grey tank top covered by a short sleeve blue checkered flannel, and the boots Carl had given her.

But she had one main item that was helping her with the heat. And that item was Glenn's baseball hat.

She still remembers how he had given it to her right before she left with the group to explore the houses around them...

 _Skye was right behind Carl, who in return was following Rick and Daryl. The four of them were about ready to leave their hide out to check out the area. The group came to a momentary halt, when they heard Glenn. Skye's attention was grabbed the most because he had called her name. She turned to look at him and tilted her head. She furrowed her eyebrows as she saw him take off his baseball hat. Her bemusement grew even more when he came closer towards her._

 _When she saw that she wasn't making a grab for it, Glenn gently nudged the hat to her. "Here, take my hat."_

 _At his request, Skye immediately began to protest. She used her right hand and raised her index and middle finger. She then used those digits to gently tap them on her thumb. A clear ASL sign that meant no. This sign of course was one of the few that the group members automatically knew about. So Glenn right away understood what she was telling him._

 _Glenn gave her a small chastising look."I'm not letting you go out there without a hat, Skye. It's like a hundred degrees today. You'll burn."_

 _"I'd take him on his request. Otherwise he'll keep on badgering you." Maggie said to her with a smile. She had come up from behind Glenn, and she was now holding his other hand. The one that wasn't holding his hat._

 _Skye pursed her lips, but relented. She took the hat from Glenn and put it on. Adjusting it took a few seconds, but eventually the hat felt right on her head. She then took out her mini notepad that she kept inside her jean back pocket, along with her pen, and wrote down a quick message. She then showed the notepad to Glenn._

 ** _Thanks I'll give it back to you. I promise._**

 _Glenn looked at her again when he was done reading. "Just make sure to keep it on when you're outside. You'll get a really bad sun burn otherwise." He then gave her a good-natured smile. "I'm actually rather surprised you haven't yet to this point."_

 _Skye gave him a fake wounded expression, but was overall feeling amusement. She too was rather surprised she hadn't gotten a bad case of sun burn. She'd gotten a bit more tan, but that was understandable by the amount of time she's been outside. She was still pretty fair skin though while compared to others in the group. She guessed that's why Glenn was worried about her burning. Fair skin after all was more sensitive to the sun._

 _"Besides, I think you look better in it than he does." Maggie said bringing her out of her thoughts. Skye gazed towards her and saw how she was smiling at her. It was clear to her that Maggie's comment, held nothing but absolute affection towards Glenn. Skye saw the way the couple looked at each other, from time to time, and whenever she caught sight of this, it made her feel happiness of some sorts._ _The young girl gave her a smile and then looked at Glenn again. She signed thank you to him in ASL, before continuing to make her way. She saw how the group was waiting for her so she hurried up. Once she was next to Carl, the girl saw how he was looking at her in mild amusement. This caused her to give him a "what" expression. In response to this, he simply smiled at her._

She's kept the baseball hat on since they'd left the hideout. Which she had to say, did actually come in handy when being outside. During their walk to the houses they were gonna check it, she felt relieved to have shade on her face. It felt nice not having the sun hit her so hard. She wondered if that's why Carl always enjoyed wearing his father's sheriff hat. Although she was pretty sure it mostly because it was more of a sentimental item towards him. Whatever the reason was, it was obvious he liked the hat. Kind of like how she was sure Glenn liked his baseball hat.

Anyway, she'd make sure to thank Glenn again for the hat when they returned back.

Right now she needed to focus on her surroundings.

The neighborhood they were currently at seemingly reminded her of her old neighborhood. Typical, suburban, middle class type of neighborhood. The kind that would have block parties. Even the inside of the house they were now in looked similar to her old house. A blue colored, two story house. Before coming in though, they banged on the front window to lure any walkers that were inside. They waited for any to appear, but none came. So they went in.

From beside her, Skye heard Daryl mutter a cuss word. She turned her head to look at him and saw how he was scrutinizing the house. She suddenly got an urge to be droll with humor. She took out her mini note pad and pen and hurriedly wrote down something. She then tugged on one of Daryl's sleeve, hoping to catch his attention. It did and he looked down towards her. She then showed him what she wrote.

Daryl narrowed his eyes as he looked at her writing.

 ** _That's a quarter for the jar._**

"What jar?" Daryl asked looking at her again, not at all understanding what the hell she was referring to.

Skye rolled her eyes from him not understanding her joke. She quickly wrote down, another remark.

 ** _The swear jar...duh!_**

Daryl read what she wrote and he let out a scoff. Despite this he couldn't help but find her remark to be somewhat funny. "You're a weird little girl, yeah know that?" He told her, his voice evening a bit.

Skye smiled at this and once again replied something with wit.

 _ **I've been told that's what's appealing about me**._

She wrote down, completely joking around with him.

This time Daryl right away understood her sense of humor, and Skye could of sworn she saw his lips go up. For a second or so, before he became serious again once he heard Rick speak up. In return to this, Skye quickly tucked her notepad and pen back inside her jean pocket.

"Daryl and I will check the upstairs for any materials. Carl, you and Skye, stay down here and see if you can salvage anything." Rick informed them. He gave a serious look towards both Carl and Skye. "If anything happens, call out. Alright? Stay close and don't wander off too far from each other."

Carl and Skye gave him a firm nod of confirmation, before they went to investigate further into the house. With Rick and Daryl checking the rooms upstairs and Carl and Skye staying downstairs, right away heading towards the kitchen area. They both had their weapons with them, just in case. Carl had his silent Beretta l in hand, while Skye had her gun tucked inside her pants. She did however now have her knife in hand.

Once they were both in the kitchen, Skye right away noticed that the kitchen was still somewhat intact. With only a few damages here and there. The more she looked around the more reminiscent she was getting. This house...this kitchen...it was just merely reminding her of her family. Her mother. Father. Older brother. The family she longer had...the family she _lost_.

Carl sensed her hesitation and turned to look at her. He right away saw how crestfallen she looked as she gazed around the kitchen. He went closer towards her. "Skye, you okay?" He asked, drawing her out of her daze. She quickly steadied her emotions, and nodded her head. She gave him a nonchalant expression, before brushing past him. Otherwise, it was a way of telling him she didn't want to dwell on whatever she was thinking about. Carl respected this and just followed behind her. He gave her another look of concern before he focused on opening the kitchen counter drawers, in hopes of finding any use materials or food. _No such luck.._.

Carl sighed but continued on with their search.

Meanwhile, as she tried covering up her emotions, Skye went the side of the kitchen. It was there where she saw something that caught her interest. It was a well size pantry closet. _Pantry...means food._ Was what Skye immediately thought about. And in some sheer chance that maybe, just _maybe_ , there was some food inside, Skye decided to open the kitchen pantry closet without another thought. Except, she really should of seriously thought this through before doing so, because the second she opened the pantry door, a strong force pushed it's way out. And the sound of hissing and groaning filled the air. The unexpected force though was so strong, that it startled, and made Skye fall backward towards the kitchen counter. Ultimately making her hit her head on the edge of it. The impact was so hard, that it left her muddled. Knocking out her knife from her hand, and the hat she had on her head fell somewhere to the side of the kitchen floor.

The sound of the pantry closet door being opened abruptly, and the sound of something hard falling, instantly caught Carl's attention. He swiftly turned towards the sound, immediately on high alert. His blue eyes widen and his heart raced once he saw Skye on the floor—not moving at all. " _Skye_!" He shouted in panic. Without even wasting another second, and with no hesitation, he shot down the walker that was advancing towards her. After that he rushed over and kneeled down next to her. He carefully put her head on his lap. He checked to see if she had any bites anywhere, and he felt an amount of relief when he didn't find any. The gold whistle necklace she had around her neck, caught his attention for a second before he composed himself. He checked to see if she was bleeding from her head, but thankfully she wasn't. She was however still unresponsive. He lightly began tapping her cheek, in chance that, that would wake her up.

"Skye, Skye, please wake up." He urged fervently. But yet again...she was unresponsive. This made his stomach drop, and just as he was about to call out for help, the sound of two separate footsteps coming down the stairs were heard. Not even ten seconds later, his dad and Daryl made their entrance into the kitchen. As soon as they came their eyes widen at the scene in front of them.

"What happened?" Rick asked in alarm after managing to surpass the initial shock he felt. As soon as he heard the sound of a gun going off, he and Daryl rushed downstairs. He however did not expect to see Skye passed out on the floor, with her head on his son's lap. This caused worry he had for the girl to grow more increasingly.

Carl looked at his dad, eyes filled with trepidation, "A walker pushed her back and she fell." He explained, his voice wavering.

"Was she bit?" Daryl asked in unease, as he took in the sight of a unconscious Skye. The same young girl who had managed to survive by herself, for who knows how long. It was definitely distressing to see her like this.

"No, but I think she hit her head." Carl replied vehemently. "She's not responding." He said as he looked at the girl he'd come to care for in distress.

Rick hurriedly checked her neck for a pulse. Sudden relief went through him when he discovered one. "She's still breathing." He said and gently picked her up in his arms. He laid her head on his shoulder, making sure her head was secure. After that he looked towards Daryl and Carl. "We need to take her back to the house, have Hershel check her injury. Come on." He informed them before he started making his way out, with her being safely carried in his arms.

Daryl adjusted his crossbow behind his back, before he followed him. As did Carl, who with determination to get his friend back towards help, got up from the floor. Before he exited the kitchen though, he caught sight of Skye's knife, and he quickly grabbed it. After that, he hurried behind his dad and Daryl. However, he failed to notice Glenn's baseball hat that had fallen off of Skye's head. Which was now residing right beneath the kitchen table.

* * *

 _Ow_. _Why does my head hurt so much?_

Skye thought as she was beginning to open her eyes again. She right away realized she was laying down on a bed, over the covers. She blinked a couple times, eyes blurry for a bit before they became clear enough for her to see. As soon as her vision became clear, she noticed and even felt a cold wet cloth touching her forehead. The hand that had been gently patting the cloth on her forehead, came to a stop, and Skye followed where the hand lead to. And when she realized who was taking care of her, she was left rather surprised.

"Glad, to see you're finally awake." Carol said, a relieved smile reaching her face.

Skye stared at her, furrowing her eyebrows. Extremely confused.

 _Glad to see me finally awake? What did she_ —and that's when she remembered.

There was a walker inside the pantry closet! And the dang thing had gotten the upper hand by startling her and making her fall and hit her head. But then how was she alive? Had someone saved her? Daryl, Rick? No, it had to have been Carl. He was the one closest to her. Gosh, she felt like an idiot now. She should of made sure there was nothing inside that pantry closet before opening it. She not only risked her life, but the rest of the group as well. Especially Carl's. Darn her clumsiness. Only she would be the one to get knocked out, because of her stupidity no less. She slowly raised her hand and touched the back of her head. Her hair wasn't in her signature ponytail, it was let down. This made it easier for her to fell for any bumps. Luckily, she didn't feel any large bumps nor did it feel sticky from any blood. It did hurt to touch it a bit though. She winched. This action was right away noticed by Carol. The older woman gently lowered her hand away from her head.

"Hershel, said it was just a mild concussion." Carol reassured her.

At this news, Skye's eyes widen.

 _Just a mild concussion?_

It sure felt like it was way more than just a mild concussion. Then again, maybe that was her ego getting bruised by her foolish act, that increased how she was feeling defeat right now.

"Here." Carol said catching her attention. Skye looked at her and saw how she was handing her a bottle that was half way filled with water. Not wanting to be selfish with their resources, Skye shook her head. At this Carol became slightly more firm. "You need to drink water. You've been asleep for a couple hours now, and Hershel said you'd be dehydrated when you'd wake up." She finished explaining to her.

Skye took in her words, and mentally berated herself. What Carol said was true, she was pretty thirsty. She took the bottled water, but her green eyes widen once another realization hit her _. She'd been asleep for a couple hours? Huh?_

Carol saw her surprised expression and decided to clarify things to her. She soften her expression.

"It's night time now." She said to her and Skye listened attentively to her. "Rick and the group brought you back. Hershel checked you out, made sure you were alright. You've been asleep this whole time. He thought you'd regain consciousness tomorrow, but I'm glad you did sooner." She said, and in solace she admitted something earnest to her. "We were all worried about you."

 _They were all worried about her?_

This caused Skye to feel a mixture of emotions. One of them was guilt, because she caused everyone to worry about her, when they should of instead been worrying over the safety of the entire group. Not just her. Yet...she was touched that they expressed concern for her...especially Carol.

Since the scene of waking up to Carol caring for her while passed out, still wonder struck her a bit. Given the fact that older woman liked to keep her distance from her. But Skye knew the reason behind this. And it wasn't that Carol held any ill feelings towards her. No, it was because being around her caused memories of her daughter Sophia to resurface again. She'd have one sided conversations with the young girl, but they were extremely brief, and they hadn't actually spent time alone. Like they were right now. This was probably the longest she's been around Carol. And Skye had to say this was progress. Real progress. Maybe perhaps Carol would be more open with her now. Skye could only hope.

Carol gave her another small smile, before getting up from her seat. She had been sitting on a wooden chair, that was directly across from the bed Skye was resting on. "I should go tell the others you're awake now. Let them know you're alright." She gave her a light hearted expression. "Since there's someone in specific who wants to see you."

Skye tilted her head when she said this, but Carol found this to be endearing. The older woman made her ways towards the bedroom door, when a sudden knock coming from where Skye was at, made her turn around. She right away saw how Skye was knocking on the dresser that was next on the bed, with the hand that wasn't holding the bottled water. Once she had her attention, Skye gave her a soft smile and used that same hand to sign, thank you to her.

Carol, understanding her thanks, soften eyes and gave her a nod. She then without another word, walked out the door.

After she left, Skye twisted the cap of the water bottle, opening it. She took a small sip at first, but then took a big one. Her throat welcoming and enjoying, the refreshing taste of the water. Even if it was warm. It was still better than nothing.

She then screwed the cap back on, and closed the water bottle shut. She put the water bottle on the dresser, and that's when she noticed that her mini notepad and pen were on there as well. She hadn't noticed them there before, but she did now. Someone must of put them there for her. She was just about to reach for them, when a knock on the door was heard. Then the door opened slowly, and in walked Carl. Skye immediately was overjoyed by his presence. She broke out into a heartfelt smile.

Carl in return was relieved to see her finally awake. He came over, and sat down on the chair Carol had been moments ago. His blue eyes landed onto light green ones, and they were staring at her with content.

"I'm so glad you're awake Skye." Carl said to her. Since his father, Daryl, and him, brought her back to the hideout, he'd been nothing but worried sick for his friend. Hoping to see her awake again.

Skye saw his immediate concern for her and once again she felt bad. But then she remembered. He was the one that probably saved her from that walker. With this in mind, she kept eye contact with him ardently, while she touched the back of her head and then pointed back towards him, all with an expression on her face that was silently asking him the question of, _"Did you...?"_

Carl, not even having trouble understanding her, simply nodded his head.

Skye's face faltered a bit with emotion. She felt her eyes glisten a bit. _He did save her..._

She slowly reached for his hand and gave it a soft squeeze. A silent, but more meaningful way, of saying thank you to him.

Carl felt his heart race a bit. He gently squeezed her hand back, and when he did so, he felt his cheeks and even the tips of his ears warm up. He thought this of as nothing and then brought himself back into the moment. "I have something of yours." He told her, in remembrance. He slowly let go of her hand and reached towards the side of his pants, where he had tucked her knife in. He took it out and handed it to her. "I made sure to pick it up before we left. Since I know how much it means to you." He told her softly. He remembered how she had mentioned that the knife was one of the last things her brother had given to her before he died.

Skye took hold of the knife and once again she had the same emotion that she felt at the house, go through her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, composing herself. Once she was semi-fine again she looked at Carl again. Only then something clicked in her mind. She looked around the room, and panic began to grow within her when she couldn't find what she was specifically looking for.

Carl right away noticed her behavior and was bemused. "What are you looking for?" He asked her.

Skye put the knife down on the dresser. She then started automatically touching her head in rapid motions, as a way to tell Carl she was stressing over Glenn's hat. And luckily for her, Carl understood her animated gestures right away.

"Oh, the hat? It must of fallen off when you hit your head back at the house." Carl easily explained to her. To be honest he was so worried about her passed out state he had forgotten about the hat she had been wearing. He was luckily enough to remember and even find her knife, but the same could not be said about Glenn's baseball hat. He right saw how her face fell with dismay when he said this. He furrowed his eyebrows in curiousness. "Why the sudden face, Skye?" He asked her gently.

Skye pursed her lips, but moved her gaze towards the dresser that was next to her. She immediately grabbed them and decided to write her response. Since animated gestures wouldn't be able to do with what she wanted to say.

 _ **It was Glenn's hat...and now it's gone.** _

She quickly wrote and then showed Carl eagerly.

Carl looked at the message and then let out a small laugh.

"Is that why you're so down? Skye, it's okay."

Skye began to protest by shaking her head.

Carl saw her reaction and his bemusement grew. "Why are so worried about how he'll react? You think Glenn's gonna be mad at you or something? Cause I can tell you right now, he's not." His voice then got soft for her. "He was worried about you. We _all_ were..." He said setting his blue eyes onto her light green eyes again.

Skye was severely touched by this. Although Carol had already told her this news, it was ardently more profound to hear it from Carl. But the question he asked her still ringed through her mind. She slowly moved her eyes away from his and gazed back towards her notepad. She grabbed her pen and she started writing again. While doing so, she started to get emotional for many reasons. Mostly, because she was once again remembering her older brother, but she muddled through it. When she was done writing, she showed Carl her notepad again. Her eyes lowered down and she wanted to seem blank, but she just couldn't. Not entirely anyways.

 ** _It's just that he kind of reminds me of my brother. I didn't want to disappoint him._**

Carl read her message and then looked back towards her. The young boy saw how strained she was being with herself. Ever wanting to be the strong one. Although, from a different point of view she might of looked alright, but it was her eyes that would always give her away. Filled with so much sorrow, that it was no doubt because she was thinking of something heart-rending, like her brother. He lowered his voice, letting it be filled with only cordial and sensibleness. "Well, would your brother be disappointed at you?" He asked her.

Skye raised her gaze towards him, and slowly shook her head because it was the truth. If her brother Will had been alive, she knew for a fact that he wouldn't have been mad at her. He was a very understanding guy. Hardly ever got angry with her. Out of all her family, she'd have to say he was the most level-headed of the bunch. He didn't even get mad at her when she had accidentally broken one of his favorite video game controllers. And he loved his video game items.

Carl saw her shake her head and he gave her a smile. "Well, there you go."

Skye stared at his smile for a few seconds before she fervidly began writing down on her notepad. Her face held a solemn expression as she showed him the notepad.

 ** _But I promised Glenn I'd give it back! Wouldn't you be upset if I lost your hat? _**

Carl read the message and saw how she specifically underlined the word " _you_." He glanced towards her and he gave her a sincere expression. "Yeah a little I guess, but you were almost _bit_ Skye." He said somberly. " _Your_ life's more important. Glenn _will_ understand. Just like I would too." He told her candidly. After a few seconds of thoroughly looking at her, he spoke up again. This time his voice was more light hearted. "Do you want to get up, maybe go see the others now?" He asked her.

Skye perked up when hearing this. She nodded her head and got up from the bed. Carl made a move to help her, but she made a gesture with her hands, letting him know she was more than capable on her own. When she stood up from the bed, she made sure to stick her notepad and pen inside her back jean pocket. She left her knife on the bed side dresser, and made a mental note to get it later. Alongside her gun, that she saw there as well. She guessed Carol, or someone must of put it there, so she would be able to lay on the bed.

Once she was up and steady, she and Carl exited the room together. They walked down the hallway that lead them into the small dining room area. Unlike the previous house Skye was at, this one, _AKA_ their momentary hideout, was a lot smaller. And the dining room was a rather cozy area. But sitting on the chairs there, lounging around was T-Dog and Glenn. Skye right away assumed everyone else in the group was in the living room, or in one of the other rooms the house had to offer. She and Carl stopped once they were fully in the room.

Both men, who heard the footsteps, looked up and saw them. It was then T-Dog that first spoke up. His expression lighten up at the sight of the young girl. "Oh, look whose up and about." He said giving Skye a small smile.

Skye returned the smile and gave him a nod of acknowledgement. She remained standing next to Carl, who in return was leaning against the wall. She turned to look at Glenn, who was looking at her with relief. She quickly remembered that she lost his hat, and her expression faltered a bit. She walked closer to him and then took out her mini notepad and pen. She quickly scribbled on her notepad. She then showed Glenn the notepad once she was done writing. Her facial expression was filled with complete dismal as she waited for him to finish reading.

 ** _I'm sorry I lost your hat._**

Glenn read what she wrote and his lips curled upwards. He looked towards her and then reached over to pat her shoulder. A total amiable type of gesture. "Don't worry about it." He affably reassured her. He then gave her a relieved smile. "Just as long as you're okay." He then lowered his hand and gave her a good natured type of shrug. "Besides, I think Maggie likes me better without it." He joked in an attempt to make her smile.

Surprisingly it did and a smile broke out on her face. She still felt bad that she lost his hat, but she felt a little bit better knowing he wasn't mad or sad about it. It was because of this, that just made Skye think of her brother William. She wasn't lying when she told Carl that Glenn reminded her of her brother. He really did...in many different ways. And it just made Skye want to get along with him even more. Although, she didn't really have to worry on that. Since Glenn and her seemed to get along quite well since first meeting. So she was just glad that this whole losing his hat situation, didn't end the congenial like friendship they have going on. Skye gave him one last smile, made sure to nod at T-Dog one last time, before she and Carl headed into the living room. Inwardly ready for her to greet everyone else in the group who was in there.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I hope you guys liked this chapter. A little bit more action, fluff, and such. I just really needed some fluff after the season seven premiere. How'd you guys like the whole Glenn and Skye interaction in this chapter? I wanted to add the whole "losing his baseball hat" scene because if you noticed Glenn no longer had his baseball hat once season three began, and he never said how he lost it. I just wanted to include something that would somehow explain why he longer wore it anymore. Plus honestly, I just wanted some Glenn scenes. *Gahhh* Glenn :(( Anyways, what you guys think of the Skye and Carl interactions? ^_^ Did you guys find it adorable how worried he was about her? Or how he saved her life. *Ahh* Those two are just so cute. *Tehehe* The girl with the whistle, and the boy with the sheriff hat. Any-who, I'm thinking of writing one or two more chapters before I finally head into Season three story line. Are you guys excited for that? Cause I am! xD Well until next time my lovely readers, XOXO!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer**_ : ** _I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC._**

 ** _A/N:_** _H_ _ere's the next chapter! Enjoy the fluff, while it still lasts! :) JK, this story will always have some type of fluff, but let's just enjoy the **amount** we are getting in this chapter. *Tehehe*_

 _Oh, BTW Skye's older brother's face-claim for William is **S**_ _ **hiloh Fernandez**. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!_

 _P.S. I hope you guys like the mention of **Elton John** in this chapter, like I did in the last chapter as well. I just picture Skye as the type of kid who likes to listen to old music. Plus, **Elton John** is awesome! :)_

 _*Also, sorry for the confusion but the sneak peek got deleted by me on accident. I was editing some of the chapters and I messed up. :( I'll see if I can write it again later. Once again sorry about that!*_

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 6: Friendship bracelets and wanting to learn a new language_**

If there was one thing that Skye hated more other than the blazing heat, it would be ice cold weather. Which was what she and the group had been suffering through for what seemed like the last couple of months now. At the beginning she didn't really mind it. In a way it was sort of like a break from the extreme hot weather they had to endure. But sadly the freezing cold weather did not go away. This of course only lead her into the conclusion that they were around winter time. So at least she knew they were around the month of December or so. But that also meant her birthday had already passed or was coming up. She was born on the 15th of December. Of course she was the only one who knew about this information...well her and Carl. She had told him a while back when they were staying up late one night. It was a sheer random fact about herself, but it was one that Carl had wanted to know about her.

At the moment though, as she was currently in one of the rooms the house they were taking shelter had, her thoughts consisted of many things besides Carl.

Mainly worry had invaded her mind.

Worry about the group, but more about Lori's pregnancy.

The more Lori progressed with her pregnancy, the more Skye noticed the tension and strain between Lori and Rick grow. Skye of course just assumed it was due to stress because of the baby and with how difficult it was to find food nowadays, but something within her told her that wasn't exactly the reason why. She noticed _things_...like how they would harshly whisper to each other at times. As if they were having a argument of some sorts. Or in other times, she would notice how they would not pay attention to each other. In all honesty, she'd have to say she wasn't the only one to have noticed this either. The others in the group had to have to known this as well...Carl especially. It was his parents. But no one, not even him commented on it. It was as if the topic of Lori and Rick having some issues, was off limits. Whatever the reason though, Skye had to admit that the way Rick and Lori were acting, reminded her of a time when her parents were like that as well.

Her thoughts wandered onto her family now...mainly her mom and dad.

Now her parents for the most part, got along real well. Skye could honestly say that her mother and father really did love each other. _Except_...there was that one time when she was seven years old, when her parents got into a huge argument. (Or should she say _arguments_.) It wasn't exactly a happy memory for her. The arguing wasn't physical or anything, just verbal. The arguing also wasn't blown out of proportion either. _Still_ it wasn't exactly fun hearing her parents bicker at each other. It was rather _sad_. And at certain points during that dire time, it made her wonder if it was because of _her_ that they were arguing over. The reason behind this question, was because she remembered once overhearing her parents use her name in an argument before, and ever since then it made her feel like a _burden_. Luckily, her older brother William had been there for her. And to this day, she still remembers how comforting he was to her...

 _The mumbled voices coming from her parent's room next door could be somewhat heard by Skye. She was sitting on the side of her bed, swinging her feet back and forth, all while trying not to cry._ _It was obvious though that the conversation her mother and father were having was not a faint one. Even if they weren't necessarily yelling at each other, Skye could still tell that they were having an argument. And that alone made her want spill tears down her cheeks. If had been anyone else arguing, she probably wouldn't have felt this strongly, but this was her parents. And they were arguing...which was something she couldn't really handle. No matter how strong she wanted to be..._

 _A sudden soft knock on her bedroom door caught her attention._

 _Holding in her tears, she swiftly looked up and saw none other than her older brother William. He was leaning against the bedroom entrance and he was giving her a sad smile._

 _Skye once again tried to remain somewhat composed, but she knew there was no point in trying to hide it anymore. Her older brother could always tell whenever she was feeling_ _dispirited. So with a woebegone frown, she signed to him._

 _" **Mom and dad are fighting again.** "_

 _William let out a sigh and ran a hand through his dark locks."_ _Yeah, I know...but don't worry about it."_ _He said, before walking over and taking a seat next to her. When he saw her still looking sad, he gently brought her into a side hug. Having her lean her head on his shoulder for support._

 _After a few seconds of this, Skye slowly pulled away from his hold and signed to him." **They've**_ ** _been_** ** _arguing_** ** _a lot these days_** _ **.** "_ _She told him with a doleful expression. Her light green eyes downcasted to her bedroom floor._ _There was a long pause before she looked at her older brother again. "_ ** _Is_ _it because of me?_** _" She sheepishly decided to sign to him, finally asking the one question that had been prying in her head._

 _William became bemused by this question. He furrowed his eyebrows. "What? Why would think that?" He asked her._

" _ **I over heard them talking a while ago and I heard them say my name.** " Skye admitted to him, before once again lowering her eyes towards the floor. She heard her brother let out another sigh. She then felt how he carefully turned her head to look at him again. When she looked into his dark green eyes, all she saw was solace. It sometimes still surprised her by how much her older brother looked like both of their parents. While she herself only resembled their mother Cecilia. William's eyes were like those of their father Victor. A dark forest green color. William also had their father's dark brown hair. Except his smile and dimples were exactly like the one's their mother had. Skye herself had the same smile and dimples like their mother, and the same exact shade of hair color as well. Not to mention she had her mother's light green eyes. Unfortunately, Skye didn't inherit any features from her father. Unlike William, who was almost an exact copy of their father, with a smidge of their mother as well. Her thoughts concerning resemblance towards her mother and father, came to a sudden halt when her brother spoke up. _

_"That doesn't mean they were arguing because of you." William said, trying to reassure her. Skye though took a quick notice on how his voice shook a bit when he said this. And as if h_ _e sensed her doubt, William's voice became more_ _earnest when he spoke again._ _"Look adults have arguments all the time, Skye._ _They'll work things out eventually." He ended up telling her, and the_ _dubious feeling she had before wilted away._

 _Although, there was one other question she wanted to ask now._

 _She gave her brother a solemn look._

 _" **Do you know why they're arguing then**?" Skye asked him. She saw how her brother got a somber expression, but she hurriedly signed to him. " **Please if you know can you tell me.** " She really did want to know why her parents were arguing. If they weren't arguing because of her, then she wanted to at least know what was causing the rift between her parents. When she had this question though, she saw how her brother's eyes became soft. More softer than they were before. Almost sad looking..._

 _William grabbed one of her hands and gave it a squeeze. "It's nothing serious, Skye." He said, but once again, his voice took the same tone from before. She quickly noticed how he fixed that quirk, and continued speaking. "Mom and dad are just arguing over something that happened in the past, but it's nothing you need to worry over. Like I said, they'll work things out eventually." He gave another smile, only this time it was smaller than before. He let out a cough and then let go of her hand. He stood up from the bed, and then offered his hand to her again._

 _"How about we listen to some music downstairs, yeah? Get away from mom and dad for a bit. Besides I just bought that Elton John CD, I know you've been wanting to hear." William said, now fully smiling at her._

 _Skye knew he was saying this as a way to lighten things up. Her brother knew of her love towards music and books. He sometimes used that knowledge as a way to comfort her. Especially with music. Although he sometimes joked that her taste of music was one of an old lady, instead of a seven year old girl. But right now his joking was completely doting and the fact that he bought her something to make her feel better, was nice. So with a smile of her own, she took a hold of his hand and let him lead her downstairs to listen to some good quality music from Elton John. Besides, like her brother had said before, their parents would eventually work things out, on whatever it was they were arguing over..._

Working things out turned out to be quite different than what Skye had in mind. She thought the arguing would slowly come to an end, but that didn't exactly happen. What ended up happening, was that her father Victor left the house and them for a _whole_ week. Her mother Cecilia said he was only gone because of a business conference, but Skye knew that was lie. As did William, but she remembered how her older brother was more composed than her. Her mother on the other hand was a complete wreck, and she cried herself to sleep that whole week. Skye did too...her brother William though was the one that helped them through it. If it wasn't for him being some sort of anchor, things would of been way worse. The dark cloud that surrounded them though came to an end when their father came back. And when he did, anything that happened between him and her mother was swept clean. As in they acted as if nothing happened. Which really did surprise Skye, but her overall happiness that her father returned, threw away any dreadful emotions she had. Not to mention her father was more expressive with his emotions towards her. She remembered him crying while he hugged her when he came back home. Saying he was sorry and such and that he loved her no matter what. It was odd at first, because her father had never been _that_ expressive before, but she hadn't been one to complain.

After that incident happened, her mother and father were once again...happy. And neither William nor her ever brought up the argument that occurred between them. Although, curiosity still lingered within Skye...but not enough to fully want to investigate it. Anyways, when ever she tried analyzing the reason behind the argument, all she would feel was sadness over the fact that her father left, and that alone made her want to forget that any of that ever happened. Besides, how would she even know the reason why he left in the first place? Her whole family was gone now...so there was no point in knowing the reason anymore...

The sound of footsteps caught her attention. She swiftly turned towards where the sound came from. She narrowed her eyes and she immediately saw who it was.

 _Carl_.

Skye relaxed herself, and she released a small smile towards him.

Carl returned it and offered her a wave before coming closer towards her. He wasn't expecting for her to be awake. He just wanted to check up on her and see if she was okay. Everyone else, besides his father, who was taking his turn of watch downstairs, was already asleep. So to find her wide awake in one of the many bedrooms that the house had, surprised him. She was sitting on the side of the bed that the old room had. Once close enough, he sat down next to her.

"Can't sleep either?" He decided to ask her.

Skye shrugged and then reached for her notepad and pen. She quickly wrote in it and then showed him.

 ** _Just a lot on my mind._ **

Carl had somewhat trouble reading what she wrote. It was night time after all, but he managed to still read what she had written down. He looked up from the notepad and tilted his head. "Like what?" He softly asked her.

Skye once again scribbled down her response. She was actually rather surprised with what she wrote, but she figured why not actually tell him the _real_ reason she was up so late.

 _ **Thinking about my parents, brother, the usual.**_

After he read her response, Carl gave her a expression that held complete sympathy. "I'm sorry..." He said quickly apologizing to her.

Skye shook her head before writing down her response. She then showed it to him. She wanted to let him know that she wasn't angry or anything.

 _ **Don't be it's alright.**_

There was an awkward pause, with Carl intently reading what she wrote. After he was finished reading, he looked back towards her. "Would be okay if I-um, asked you about your family? I know you've told me a little about your brother, but I..." Carl seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say to her. He took a deep breath and steadied his voice. "I just want to know more about you and your family..."

Skye was puzzled by this. Sure she understood why Carl had wanted to know more about her. It was logical after all. But why about her parents? With all the time they've spent together, she was still closed off when it came towards the subject her family. With the exception of her sharing a little information about her older brother, Will. But other than that, she hadn't mentioned any _real_ information regarding her family to him or anyone else in the group. It was still a sore subject for her.

Awkward silence lingered in the air.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that." Carl hurriedly apologized to her. He felt completely _embarrassed_ , not to mention like a total jerk. He shouldn't have asked her such a personal question.

Skye saw how guilty he suddenly looked. She bit the inside of her cheek, mentally telling herself perhaps it was time to open more about her family. He did after all tell her about his family. The struggles they went through, how Rick reunited with him and his mom. It was only fair she shared info about her family now. Besides, she didn't want Carl to feel guilty over anything. She scribbled onto her notepad and then handed it to him. Even in the dark, she saw how his eyes slightly widen when he read what she wrote. After he finished reading the notepad, he handed it back to her.

 _ **What do you want to know?**_

Was what she had written down, and Carl was surprised by this, but he pushed through his bemusement. He cleared his throat. "We can start with names?" He suggested.

Skye was quick to responde to this question. This time rather than handing Carl the notepad, she just showed him.

 _ **Well as you already know my brother's name was William. But my mother's name was Cecilia and my father's was Victor.**_

Carl had a slightly puzzled expression after he read that. "Why did your parents name you Skye? Your parents had kind of formal names, your brother too. So, why name you _Skye_?" He asked her, genuinely interested in knowing the reason behind her unique name.

Skye felt her lips curl up when he asked her this. She wrote down her response and then swiftly showed the notepad to him.

 _ **I have my brother to thank for that. He was the one who picked out my name. Which I'm happy for. My parents originally wanted to name me Anastasia.**_

Carl had to stifle in a laugh when he read this. He looked at Skye with an amused expression. "Seriously?"

Skye nodded her head, trying her hardest not to smile, but in the end did so anyways. His semi-surprised and amused face was just too much.

Carl's blue eyes lighten up and he released a low laugh. "Well, good thing your parents let your brother name you then. Anastasia seems too... _girly_." He backtracked what he just said, and he immediately began trying to take it back. "I mean, I know you're a girl and all, but, uh, the name Anastasia doesn't fit you. Not that you wouldn't be able to pull it off..." He stopped his rambling when he saw the bemused look she had on. He took a second to compose himself, before speaking again. "You look more like a Skye...and besides, I like the name Skye. It's _different_...in a good way of course." When he said this, he instantly felt his cheeks and the tips of his ears start to warm up. He tried not to acknowledge how he was now madly blushing. He was just really glad that the living-room was dark enough for her not to see how red he had probably gotten. "So what did your parents do?" Carl quickly asked her, in chance that would stop him from blushing.

Skye once again quickly wrote down her response.

 ** _My dad was a real estate agent and my mom was a nurse. She mainly helped people who had cancer._**

Carl nodded his head and then tilted to the side. "What about your brother?" He asked her.

Changing the subject onto her older brother, caused Skye to feel even more reminisce. She reached for her pen and slowly took her time writing. When she was finished she showed Carl.

 ** _He was in college. He wanted to be an software engineer._**

Carl couldn't miss the way her eyes were downcast when he read this. He was once again felt awful for making her feel sad. He decided to switch around the subject a bit towards school. "Is it silly that I actually _miss_ going to school?" He sheepishly admitted to her. "I don't miss it like _crazy_...but I sometimes do think back to how things use to be. And school happens to be in some of those memories." A look of reminisce and a small smile was on his face. "What about you? Do you miss school?" He asked her curiously.

The subject of school was bitter sweet for Skye, and that could be clearly seen in her answer.

 _ **Yes and no.**_

A puzzled expression appeared on Carl's face when he read this.

Skye saw this and swiftly decided to add something else to it. Only this added information was more personal, and she was once again surprised that she was actually going to tell Carl this. She was feeling brave enough to do, and deep down she had a feeling that he deserved to know _more_ about her past anyways. So after she wrote down that last sentence, she showed him the whole response.

 _ **I only miss the learning part. I always liked learning new things. But I don't really miss anything else besides that.** **I didn't really have a lot friends at school anyways.**_

Carl deeply frowned at this reply. "What, how come?" He asked without fully thinking.

Skye got a dejected, semi-annoyed expression on her face. Her pen pressed hard on her notepad. She then feeling abashedly, allowed him to read her response.

 ** _I think the answer is pretty obvious._**

After reading the notepad, Carl at first was confused, but then that turned into anger.

He was confused at first, because he couldn't understand how anyone wouldn't want to be Skye's friend. She was nice and cool to be around. So what if she couldn't talk? Why did that have to ruin a friendship from forming? He thought back to when he use to go to school. He remembered kids his age who couldn't hear or who had other disabilities. There weren't many of them, and he couldn't honestly say he was close friends with them, but he wasn't mean to them. If perhaps they were in the same class and had the same schedule, then he would of befriended them like he had done with Skye. Walkers around them or not, Carl deep down told himself that if he had met Skye before all this chaos, he probably would have befriended her as well. Thinking otherwise had him inwardly protesting a lot. Which was where the anger came in. Mainly towards the fact that the kids at her school weren't open with her. If he had gone to her school, he would have welcomed her friendship with opened arms. He know he would have...

Carl took a moment to collect himself. He looked towards Skye and though it was dark, he could still see how dejected she looked. He let out a low cough, that quickly caught her attention. Her eyes connected onto his and he spoke up. His voice taking a serious tone.

"Well in case I haven't made it clear yet, _you're_ my friend Skye, and I'm glad that you are. "

Whatever type of doleful feelings Skye had, faded away when she heard Carl say that to her. She gave him a wholehearted smile. This time when she wrote on her notepad, she felt complete content.

 _ **I'm glad you're my friend too.**_

She wrote back in response. Sheepishly admitting that she was feeling the same as him regarding their friendship.

Carl gave her a sincere expression. Although the more he continued to look at her, the more his cheeks got warmer. Once again, he was glad the darkness could hide his blushing. Trying to get back on track, he quickly composed him and turned the conversation onto a slightly different topic. "Since we are _officially_ confirming our friendship...I have something for you." He said in a light tone of voice. Finally giving her one of the items he had been hiding from her. "I've been carrying these for a while now. I think it's been a few weeks, but I was waiting until the time was right. And since you told me your birthday was on December 15th, and it's already around winter time, I figured your birthday is either close or its already passed. Either way, this is probably the best time time to give this to you anyways." He finished saying to her, and after that, he reached into his jean's pocket and pulled out the two bracelets he had hidden inside.

Even in the dark, Skye could tell the two were string patterned bracelets. One blue and the other green. They reminded her of the type of bracelets one would make during summer camp. She liked those type of bracelets though. She use to have a whole bunch of them. It was because she use to go summer camp, and at the camp she went they had the kids doing all sorts of fun actives. Making bracelets was just one of those many activities. Unfortunately, her once bundled up collection of bracelets, were all gone now. So to see that Carl had managed to find not just one, but _two_ bracelets, was awesome.

By the way she was looking at the bracelets, Carl could tell she was already liking them. This made him happy. "I got one for you and one for me. You choose which one you want though. The point is for the both of us to wear them. You know, kind of like friendship bracelets. Which I know is mainly a girl thing, but I think our friendship should surpass that image. Don't you think?"

Skye eagerly nodded her head. Her smile was completely filled with gleefulness as she kept staring at the bracelets. She was looking at both, as she was trying to decide which one to choose. It was then that she decided to take the blue patterned one. It was pretty...but she mostly based her decision because the color of the bracelet reminded her of the color of Carl's eyes. His nice _blue_ eyes...

She grabbed the bracelet and then put in on her wrist. She smiled and looked toward Carl. He was smiling at her too.

"I had a feeling you'd pick that one." He told her while he put the green patterned bracelet onto his wrist as well. Secretly he was happy that he got the green one. It reminded him of her eyes. Her _pretty_ light green eyes.

While she was admiring her new friendship bracelet, Carl decided to finally ask her something real important.

"There's something else that I've been meaning to ask you..." He sheepishly admitted to her.

His sudden question caught Skye off guard. She looked at him and she took a second to study his expression. Although, it was dark inside, she could tell his eyes held nothing but softness in them. She nodded her head at him, letting him know to continue with his question.

"Can you teach me how to sign?" Carl finally asked her. "I wanna know and fully understand sign language." His gaze on her was soft and eyes his were filled with complete earnest. "I know Beth is the one who can understand you the most, and she's the one that interprets, but I wanna _know_ too. It'll be challenging, I realize that, but I want to _learn_. As much as her, or even possibly _more_ than her. So...can you _please_ teach me?"

If there was ever a moment, where Skye wanted to cry from being at ease, it would be now.

Carl wanted to learn sign language...he wanted to learn for _her_.

That alone made her elated...and she could practically feel her eyes glistening from that. She was glad that it was dark enough for him not to see her tears of joy. If it hadn't been for her content, then she would of been mentally berating herself for letting her emotions show so drastically. But she couldn't care less if she was being weak or whatever, her happiness clouded that nagging voice of hers.

Carl wanted _her_ to teach him sign language...he had given her a friendship bracelet, and basically confirmed their friendship.

She had reason to let her hard exterior falter.

There was silence once again, but it wasn't awkward. She saw how unsure Carl was getting due to her not responding back. She quickly wrote down her response, a pleased smile on her face and then happily showed him the notepad.

 ** _Yes_**. _**I'll teach you.**_

Carl in response to this smiled, and before he let his nerves get the best of him, he bravely reached for her hand, and gave it a soft squeeze.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I actually intended to release this chapter after the season 7 mid-season finale, but I blame my laziness for the late update. Lmao. Anyways, what did you guys think of the mid-season finale? Cause OMG :O that was just too much. Hopefully this chapter made you guys feel better. Cause now we have to wait until February for the show to return! Gahhh... but I guess that gives me more time to update this story. As for this chapter, what did you guys think of the memory/flash back I included? Would you like to see more of those? Let me know! ^_^ Anyways, until next time my lovely readers!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC.**_

 _ **A/N:** Here's the sneak peek for season seven that I had accidentally deleted. It's important to note that I changed it...a lot. The sneak peek is now focusing when Skye is at the Sanctuary, under Negan's supervision. I thought this would be more interesting because I want you guys to read about how she and Negan interact with each other, and maybe this chapter will give you guys more clues as to why Negan is so weirdly affectionate and caring towards her. __Hope you guys like it! Once again sorry for the confusion. The next chapter will continue on with the regular story, and FYI we'll finally be heading into the season 3 story-line! Wooho! (:_

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 7: Season seven sneak peek_**

Skye did not want to be here. The teen wanted to be anywhere else other than here...at the Sanctuary...with _Negan_.

She _hated_ him.

She absolutely without a doubt hated Negan to her core.

And why wouldn't she?

He after all killed two people she loved and cared for.

 _Glenn and Abraham..._

He killed them right in front of her and the others. No remorse or regret. And as if that weren't enough, he was still causing immense suffering for the rest of her group. Not to mention he had Daryl as a captive here at the Sanctuary with her. Except Negan was keeping her far away from Daryl.

And unlike him, Skye wasn't locked up in some cell with harsh conditions. No...for some unknown reason Negan had been strangely _caring_ towards her.

For one thing, he had given her a room to stay in. A room that was completely furnished with a bed and furniture. There's was even a small mini fridge filled with food and a small TV in there. Unfortunately, the room was right next to his.

The other "kind" thing he did, was that he had gotten her new clothes. With the exception of only letting her keeping her shoes. So sadly she no longer wore her comfortable jeans, and t-shirt, but instead was given a wardrobe that consisted of dresses. Ever since getting here, all she's been wearing were stupid dresses. Like right now, she was wearing a knee length blue summer dress. Much to her dislike. She hated it, and she sure put up a fight when one of Negan's wives had helped get her ready. She didn't remember the woman's name. Frankie, was it? Who the hell knows, but it was the red haired one. Not that it really mattered. Skye disliked her and the rest of the wives. Though, deep down she couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for them. She did after all see the misery they had when looking at them. And why wouldn't they be? Negan ran their lives. That alone was a cause for a miserable life.

Although her hate for Negan overpowered any sympathetic feelings she had for his people.

Whenever any of the other Saviors bothered her, she for sure made her hate for them known. She's kicked and even bitten a few of the men that had gotten _too_ close for her liking. One of them, (she had not gotten his name) made her so uncomfortable. So when he tried touching her arm, she bit him. Like an animal or like one of those _things._ That for sure got him to back off, but it had also angered him. He had been so angry that he had tried hitting her. Dwight though had stopped him just in time. Now Skye did not like Dwight, but she had to admit his timing in that situation was something she was thankful for. Not that she would ever admit that. Anyways, the half face burned man must have told Negan about that specific Savior because since then she hadn't seen him. Despite her initial confusion, Skye knew what Negan must have done to him. The grin he had given her was enough for her to understand.

A part of her felt guilty, but another part of her _―_ the more rational part _―_ the part that had kept her alive this long _―_ was not. This part reminded her that the man that had almost hit her was a Savior. So whatever happened to him, was well deserved. If not for wanting to hit her, then it was for something else he must have done in the past.

Skye however did have to admit she was rather puzzled by Negan's actions. He had given her a room, new clothes (not that she liked them), and he had even retaliated back when a man a had tried hurting her. But why? Was he being so caring towards her? Honestly, his behavior perplexed her.

But Skye was no fool...

Despite everything Negan had surprisingly done for her, she wouldn't fall for this supposed nice act he was putting on.

Negan wouldn't trick her.

To the teenager he was still the deranged man who killed Glenn and Abraham. He was the same man who had threaten Rick with cutting Carl's arm off if he didn't do it himself. Carl, the boy she held strong feelings for. The boy she _loved_ with all her heart. They had been through so much together. So watching that play out, was just heart wrenching that it had left her in a panic stricken state afterwards. Not to mention, Negan had taken her away from the people she called family.

Those acts were just unforgivable for her. She'd never be able to forgive him.

The sound of knocking made Skye look towards the bedroom door.

"Knock, knock, baby girl!"

Skye bit the inside of her cheek out of anger once she heard _his_ voice.

Swinging his baseball bat Lucille, Negan sauntered inside the room. His eyes landed on Skye, who was sitting down on the couch the room had. Her expression was filled with enmity.

Negan though looked passed this. "How you doing this fine morning, baby girl?" He asked with a full on grin.

Skye had to hold in an eye-roll. She hated that he called her that. Baby girl...it was some affectionate nickname he had for her. It annoyed her and he knew that it annoyed her. Hence why he called her that. She got up from the couch and walked away. Her gaze moving from him and instead was looking at anywhere else but him, completely ignoring his presence now.

"Oh, I get it. You're doing the whole silent treatment." Negan sing-songed. He did this because he knew that it would get under her skin. And it did, because she immediately looked at him with a glare. He disregard the hate, and instead gave her another one of his well-known grins. "I'm just kidding." He said with a smooth voice. He then gestured with his head towards the door. "Come on, let's go.

Skye's expression turned into puzzlement.

At her confused expression, Negan decided to elaborate. "I'm taking you to go see Dr. Carson."

Skye frowned upon hearing this. Panic started to rise inside her. Why was he going to take her to go see the doctor? There was nothing wrong with her. She was feeling fine _―_ well as fine as one can be when taken hostage by a sociopath bat wielding man like him. She quickly grabbed the notepad and the pen that was on the small dining table The one Negan had to her once she got here. She quickly scribbled on it and then showed it to him. A hard expression on her face while doing so.

 _ **Why?**_

Negan took one look at what she wrote and then let out a chuckle. "You need to work on your handwriting, baby girl. It's getting sloppy." He joked with her. After saying that, he got surprisingly got serious. "Although, maybe soon enough you won't have to worry so much about your penmanship."

Skye did not find his comment somewhat funny. What the hell did he mean by that? Although she wanted answers, she held in her temper. She knew though her expression was betraying her. She took a deep breath, and then pointed to the notepad again.

Negan rolled his eyes, but complied. "I'm taking you to him so he could check you over. See if he can find a way to restore that lovely voice of yours. I should have done this when you got here, but I had to deal with Daryl first." That annoying grin was now back on his face at the mention of Daryl.

Skye's light green eyes widen at what he said. First because he mentioned Daryl to her. Whenever Negan was around her, he never liked mentioning Daryl. It was like an unspoken topic for him to say to her. So to have him nonchalantly talk about Daryl right now, just made her even more worried about him...

Now the second reason why she was shocked was because he said something about restoring her voice. He wanted to find out if he could actually get her voice back? No, that was _impossible_. There was nothing to restore. She never had a voice to begin with. She was _born_ mute _._ So they shouldn't even be discussing this. Besides, her not being able to talk was something he knew about already, since he had her (more like forced her) to explain to him about her vocal disability. She didn't talk because it was a stubborn choice. Nor did she have selective mutism. She simply didn't talk because she just couldn't. She was physically mute. There was a _huge_ difference between the two of them. So having him take her to go see the doctor would be pointless. Not to mention seeing the doctor would only cause her more emotional pain.

Skye slammed down the notepad and pen back on the table, and instead of using the notepad, she just vehemently shook her head. A silent, but _strong,_ no.

Negan's eyes harden at seeing her response, before he let out a chuckle. "I wasn't asking, baby girl. Now come on." He said as he started to walk towards the door. He stopped walking though when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw that she was still standing in place. He was not happy about this, and that was crystal clear by how he was looking at her. " _Skye_." He stressed out her name. This time saying it more firmly.

Skye, however did not move. Instead she gave him a placid like expression. Careful on not showing how really nervous she was feeling in the inside. Going to the doctor just freaked her out. It was something that had _always_ freaked her out, even before the world went down hill. Consistent doctor appointments from when she was younger was the reason for this.

"Are you really gonna make me ask you _again_?" Negan questioned. He sounded slightly exasperated due to how she was being with him.

Skye just crossed her arms over her chest. Her defiant light green eyes staring back at him. Now if an outsider was watching this scene play out, they would think it was a father-daughter argument. Especially with the way they were acting towards each other.

Negan looked at her for a few seconds before shaking his head, somewhat fondly. "Well alright then."

His response threw Skye off, but what threw her off even more was when he started making his way towards her. All while swinging his precious baseball bat Lucille, side to side. This caused Skye to become alarmed. She quickly uncrossed her arms and got ready to run away from him.

Negan was faster, and before she bolted, he got a hold of one of her hands. Once in his grip, he started to pull her forward.

In order to prevent her from leaving the room, Skye began fighting against the hold he had on her hand. She started getting more frustrated when her attempts weren't lessening his hold. So she decided to take a even more drastic measure by kicking one of his legs. _Hard_. When this didn't work either, she bit the hand that was holding hers. Sinking her teeth right into his flesh, she was full on ready for him to throw her off, but he never did. Instead he let out a semi-surprised, yet amused sound. This caused her to be more frustrated. Making her to do something that was more towards the childish side. But up to this point, doing this immature thing just didn't phase her anymore. She just wanted him to let go of her hand.

Now the kicking and even the biting from her didn't really bother Negan. If it had been someone else, it would have. They'd probably be dead too. But coming from Skye, it was just amusing. All the amusement he had though went away when he gazed down at her and saw her purse her lips and suck in her cheeks. He could tell she was about to spit at him, and this _really_ angered him. So he quickly let go of her hand, making her stumble a bit. She fixed her balance, and he saw in her eyes how she was contemplating on running again, but his dominant stance over her made her freeze.

"I like the fight you have in you, Skye. I really do. So I can handle the kicking. Hell even the biting. To tell you the truth it's kind of amusing." Negan told her, sounding lighthearted. He suddenly he became dead serious. The type of seriousness that had full on anger underneath."But I draw the line at the spitting. Do you hear _me_?" He told her looking straight into her light green eyes. His stare made Skye's blood run cold as she fearfully gazed back at him. "That _shit_ is unacceptable behavior. Especially coming from a young lady like yourself. So, if you try to do it again, I'm gonna have to punish you. And believe me baby girl, you do not want that." This time he crouched down in front of her, Lucille still in his hold. His expression was firm, yet there was a small ounce of bemusement in his eyes. " _Right_?" He asked her.

Despite not wanting to let him see how much he had scared her, Skye knew it was too late to try to act brave. Her eyes had given her away. So she lowered her gaze and slowly nodded her head.

"Good." Negan simply said as he stood up, acting as if nothing had happened. This made Skye slowly look up towards him. "Shit, baby girl, don't look so glum." He said going back to his good-natured persona. How he was able to do that, Skye had no idea. His eyes gleamed. "It's just a visit to the doctors. If you get scared, you can hold my hand."

Even though she was still scared, Skye managed to give him a irked expression. His comment brought back memories of when she used to go the doctor with her dad Victor. He used to be the one who would hold her hand whenever she got scared when visiting the doctor. These were meaningful memories for her. So she wasn't going to hold Negan's hand.

Her small spark of anger, once again just amused Negan. "Okay, enough of your shenanigans. Let's go see Dr. Carson!" He exclaimed with a grin as he made his way out of the room.

This time with a solemn expression, Skye followed closely behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer**_ : ** _I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC._**

 ** _A/N:_** _Alright guys, so here's the next chapter! We're finally going into season three story line. Prepare for things to get interesting! :D_ _I'm glad you guys liked the rewrite I did for the seven season sneak peek. (: Also did you guys all watch the season finale of The Walking Dead? Omg! Poor Sasha. R.I.P :( I really liked her character too. Ugh! But at least she went out as a champ._ _Now we're gonna have to wait until October for the new season...ahh! On the bright side that will give me more time to write this story. Btw, who would like to see another sneak peek for season seven? Hmm? (: Maybe more scenes between Skye and Negan? You guys seem to like those a lot lol I've been getting a lot of messages about why he acts the way he does with her. You guys are just gonna have to wait and see. xD_

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 8: Finding the_** ** _prison_**

Eventually the winter season came to an end.

Which was something Skye was very happy about.

Although now that it was no longer winter, she and the group had to endure Georgia's heat all over again.

She supposed in the long run that the heat was better than the ice cold weather. Yes, she disliked the heat, but it certainly had its pros. One of them was that they no longer had to huddle together anymore in order to stay warm. Plus, no one was worried about getting hypothermia. That was one of the main concerns they all had, especially Lori. The other they had was food. It was harder to find and scavenge for food during the winter time.

So Skye hoped now that it was starting to get warm again, that finding food would be easier for them.

Unfortunately, ever since the end of winter, finding resources, such as food, was still a difficult task.

The house to house strategy they have been using had become more and more fruitless.

Which was not a good thing. Lori was ready to give birth any day now. So they really needed a place to settle down. A _safe_ place for not only for her and the baby, but for everyone else as well.

A place they could call home...

Skye bit the inside of her cheek. Trying her hardest to ignore the feeling in her stomach. It wasn't necessarily from hunger though. Daryl had managed to hunt down an owl for them when they had scavenged a house. But the owl didn't exactly hit the right spot for her. Or for any of them.

The owl had been better than eating dog-food. At least that she would tell herself. Skye knew Carl only had good intentions with bringing the dog-food to the group. Except Rick didn't think so. Sure they were desperate for food, but not that desperate. The older Grimes throwing the dog-food across the room they had been hiding in showed that.

After they have left the abandoned house, they went on the road again. But within several minutes, they had pulled over to the side to try to figure out what they were going to do next. They had a brief meeting before Rick and Daryl went into the woods in the hopes that they would find something else to eat. While the rest of them went to the closest creek in order to and gather water they would boil later.

Skye and Carl were enjoying the momentary peace they were given. They were sitting under a tree, liking the shade that it provided them. From where they were at, they could see what the rest of the group were doing.

Carol was sitting next to Lori. The two older woman also looked relieved that they were given a moment to relax. Hershel, Maggie, and Beth were filling up their jugs with the creeks water. While T-Dog and Glenn were keeping watch on all of them.

A light tap on Skye's shoulder caught her attention. Knowing it was Carl who did this, she turned towards him. She right away saw how he was trying to sign something to her. She waited patiently while trying to figure what he was trying to sign to her. But after a few seconds of him fumbling, he suddenly stopped and let out a sigh. He gave her an embarrassed look before lowering his eyes.

"I was trying to say that it's a nice day."

Skye couldn't help but smile at how sheepish he was being.

Ever since Carl had asked her to teach him sign language, he had been doing his absolute best in trying to gain the skill himself. He wanted to become a pro like her. It was a slow on-going learning process though. Which was perfectly understandable given their situation. Since they had to be more focused on surviving than wanting to learn a new language. But whenever the two of them had spare time to waste, Skye would use that time to teach him as many things as she could. By now Carl already knew how to sign basic stuff, like his and her name. Although he still had trouble signing other things to her.

Skye noticed he was a lot better at understanding sign language than at signing things back himself. Sometimes Beth would try to help him out too, but Carl was persistent on figuring things out on his own, or unless he wanted Skye to help him out with signing something. He was stubborn like that. But Skye couldn't fault him. He didn't need to learn sign language, but he was going through with it because he wanted to learn for _her_. Sure she might of found his embarrassment on getting certain thing she wrong to be amusing, but she never really liked seeing him be so down on himself. Sign language was a difficult language to learn to begin with. Even more so with the world they were in. So him trying meant a lot. So he wasn't a failure. No this in her eyes. In fact he was quite the opposite.

Noticing how his eyes were still towards the ground, made Skye playfully tap his Sheriff's hat. When he looked at her again she signed back. " ** _It is."_** Her response was an honest one, because despite the heat, it was actually a nice day. It was one of those days were one would want to go swimming in their pool. But the closest thing they had to a pool was the creek. And even though it was hot, and were getting water from it, she certainly wasn't going to swim in there.

Although she had on a _"don't worry about it"_ type of smile on her face, Carl still felt agitated with himself. "I really should be remembering everything you're teaching me." Even he knew it would be a challenge to learn sign language, but he would have thought that he'd be way better at it by now. He let out a sigh and gave her a apologetic look."I'm sorry."

Skye without really thinking about it reached for one of his hand. Grabbing a hold of it and gave it a squeeze. Her soft unexpected touch made Carl look at her with slightly wide eyes, and his cheeks started to feel warm. Skye though was too focused on what she wanted to express to him, that she didn't notice. She began shaking her head with a serious expression on her face. Once she had his undivided attention, she let go of his hand and meaningfully signed to him.

 _ **"Slow but steady wins the race."**_

Carl took a few seconds to comprehend what she signed. "Slow but steady wins the race." He repeated back and saw how she nodded her head at him. By now he had gotten his initial surprise and blush under control. "Slow but steady...wins the race." He repeated again, only this time he was taking the words in for himself. He let a small smile grace his face at finally understanding the words. "You just quoted, _The Tortoise and the Hare,_ to me, didn't you?" He asked, feeling better now due to Skye's silly and succor demeanor towards him.

Skye nodded her head, happy that he was no longer in the dumps. She then at another attempt to lighten things up, gave him a playful push on the shoulder.

"Hey!" Carl laughed with a full on smile on his face.

Skye's eyes brighten up at hearing him laugh. She liked the way he laughed.

Once their silly moment ended, the two of them suddenly got quiet. Once again basking in the peace they were having.

As Skye was looked forwards, Carl glanced down towards her wrist. He felt his cheeks warm up, only this time because he caught sight of her blue string patterned bracelet. He always liked seeing her wear the bracelet he had given her. It made him feel...happy. He gently touched his own bracelet. As he did this though, Skye finally noticed his staring. She gave him a bemused look, and he was about to stutter out a response, when oncoming footsteps caught their attention.

They both quickly got up, ready to act, as did the rest of the group. Their wariness however faltered when they saw who it was.

It was Rick and Daryl.

Right away though Skye knew something was up. And by the looks of it, it was something important.

"We found something." Rick earnestly said to them.

It was then that Skye noticed something else. For the first time in what seemed like a very a long time, the young girl could see happiness in Rick's eyes. Which meant that whatever he and Daryl found had to be good.

* * *

Skye couldn't believe at first.

They were standing in front of a prison.

An _actual_ prison.

Skye had never seen a prison in person before. Sure she'd seen them in movies and TV shows, but not in real life. So being in front of one was quite astonishing. Especially since it could possibly become the place they were going to settle down in.

"Watch the back side." Rick's urgent voice caught her attention. She quickly saw how he was cutting through the fence with the wire cutters they had. Her gaze then focused around their surroundings, noticing how some of those things _―walkers―_ were getting closer to them.

Lori, who was huddled in between Beth, Skye and Carl, nodded her head. "Got it."

After Rick cut a big enough gap on the fence, the group made sure Lori went in first. After that one by one, they followed swiftly behind. T-Dog however lingered back a bit, causing Rick to raise his voice a bit. "Hurry, hurry!" He said as he ushered T-Dog inside. Once everyone was inside, he quickly began tying the fence back together with the wire they had. As soon as the fence was tied and secured, they started to run through the open area in between the fences. They came to a stop though when they reached the final fence. Now that they were still, Skye studied the grassy field that was filled with walkers. As did everyone else.

"It's perfect." Rick said in awe, as he took view of the prison now that he was up close to it. "If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers." He vehemently told everyone. "We'll take the field by tonight."

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel questioned as he gazed towards the gate that was open. Skye right away saw that the gate had a bunch of walkers roaming around on the other side.

Glenn stepped up. "I'll do it." He suggested. "You guys cover me."

Maggie immediately protested this. "No, it's a suicide run."

Glenn looked at her with reassurance. "I'm the fastest."

Rick shook his head. An idea already formed in his mind with how they were going to handle this problem. "No, you, Maggie, Beth, T-Dog, and Skye draw as many as you can over there." He said pointing to one side of the fence. "Pop'em through the fence." He then turned to face the others. "Daryl, go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel you and Carl take this tower. I'll run for the gate." He said as he watched everyone go to their positions.

Immediately once they reached their side of the fence, Skye began hitting the fence with her knife, making noise. While Glenn, Maggie, Beth and T-Dog, began shouting to catch the walkers attention. As soon there was a walker close enough, Skye stuck her knife through it's head and then watched as it fell towards the ground. After doing this, Skye caught sight of Lori opening the gate, letting Rick inside. She saw him running into the field filled with walkers, killing those that got in his way as he made his way to the other gate. Except the further he went, the more he started to get the attention from the walkers. Most of them that were near them were moving away. Causing Skye to worry even more.

Everyone else noticed this too. Beth who was next to her began hitting the gate. "Hey, come on, over here!" She frantically yelled, trying to catch their attention again. But it was no use, the walkers were too entranced with Rick.

A light bulb then went off in Skye's head. She hurriedly reached for her whistle that was around her neck and blew on it. And almost instantly the walkers that were starting to catch up to Rick, were now coming back towards her. She kept blowing on her whistle up until they were crashing against the fence. After that she, Beth, Maggie, Glenn and T-Dog, then began popping them through the fence. As they were doing this Skye was able to see Rick reach the gate and shut it. Locking the walkers that were residing behind it. Her eyes gleamed when she saw him enter the tower. Relief flooding through her.

 _He's okay! He did it! He made it!_

"Light it up!" Daryl voice filled the air.

And that's exactly what they did.

They all started firing their guns to the remaining walkers in the field. With each shot they made a walker went down. Skye didn't want to admit it, in hopes of jinxing them, but this was actually starting to become easy. Way too easy. It didn't even seem like five minutes had passed, before she saw the last walker in the field fall to the ground.

Skye lowered her gun and then turned towards her right. She immediately saw a overzealous Glenn making his way towards her. "Way to go Skye!" He cheered as he offered her a high-five to her.

Bashful at the sudden praise, Skye hesitated a bit before she accepted his high-five. A sheepish expression on her face as doing so.

"Yeah." Maggie added with her own smile. "Skye, that was some fast thinking."

After lowering her hand, Skye let a smile appear on her face when she heard her say this. Her sheepishness decreased as her smile increased instead. Even more when Beth and T-Dog complimented her as well. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt good about herself. Knowing that she was able to do something to help out the group left a impact on her. But a good one. Her whistle necklace proved to be more useful than she thought.

After her little moment of recognition was over, the five of them then regrouped with the others.

"Fantastic!" Carol happily exclaimed to them.

"Nice shooting." Daryl commented as they walked towards the now cleared field.

Carol smiled at him and then looked at Lori who was leaning against the fence. "You okay?" She asked her.

Lori let out relieved sigh as she touched her protruding belly. "I haven't felt this good in weeks."

Pleased at her answer, Carol stretched her arms over her head. "Good. Oh! We haven't had this much space since we left the farm!" She yelled as she now walked freely around the grassy field of the prison.

It was ironic that they found such space and feeling of freedom in a prison, but life was funny that way. Skye thought as she too walked into the grassy field. She did a half spin, stretching her arms out. She felt foolish doing so, but at the moment she didn't care. Everyone else was basking in the open space. If she could, she would have shouted in excitement too. She stopped spinning though when she caught sight of Carl coming towards her.

"Good call on the whistle." Carl said to her with a smile. Feeling not only relieved that she had helped his dad, but was amazed at her fast thinking skills.

Skye felt her cheeks start to warm up due to his comment. She didn't want him noticing this though. So in order not show how affected she was by him, she just gave him a nonchalant shrug. Thankfully it seemed like Carl didn't notice her blushing. He in return just laughed before he gestured towards the field. The gleam in his eyes indicating they race each other to see who would get to the tower the field had first. Skye gladly took that challenge and they both started running. She heard a few of the group members cheer them on. Giving her more motivation to win the race.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC.**_

 _ **A/N:** Alright my wonderful readers, here's the next chapter! It's short but I hope you guys still enjoy it. (:_

 _P.S. I do not own any of the songs used in this chapter. I do recommend you guys listen to Your Song by Elton John. It's such a beautiful song._

* * *

 _Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 9: A goodnight song_**

If one were to have asked Skye who had one the race, she would say that she won. Fair and square. If one were to have asked Carl who won the race, he would say that he won. When in reality it had been a tie. Or at least that's what the whole group had told them. Winner or loser, Skye demanded for a rematch, but the second time they raced she and Carl once again came to a tie. Which was kind of odd and funny, since she had always thought she was a fast runner. She had to have been. All that time being alone, surviving, made her so.

When they came to a tie for the second time, Carl got an amused expression. Skye knew he was rather enjoying the fact that they kept getting to the tower at the same time. She on the other hand was just becoming more determined to beat him. And she was going to prove that she was fastest on the third try. Unfortunately though they didn't get to race for the third time. Their moment of fun came to a halt when they were reminded they needed to help set up camp. Skye made sure to give Carl a look that said, "n _ext time, I'm gonna win_.' Which in response to this, the blue eyed boy just laughed at her seriousness.

Night time came by fast and the group was now sitting around a fire they made after setting up camp. Skye was sitting next to Carl. They were eating some of the left over squirrels Daryl had managed to find when he went hunting with Rick earlier.

"Mm. Just like mom used to make." Glenn sarcastically said before throwing the bone to the side.

Skye smiled when she saw him do this, but kept on eating the piece she had. It still had a little bit of meat left, and she wasn't going to let any go to waste. As icky as it sound, she now found it normal to eat squirrel. It no longer freaked or grossed her out, but then again she had become accustomed to a lot of things that would have freaked her out if the world had been the same as before.

"Tomorrow we'll put all the bodies together." T-Dog said catching her's and the group's attention. Skye had chewed and swallowed the last piece of meat before finally throwing the bone to the side. "Want to keep them away from that water. Now if we can dig a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water." T-Dog continued to tell them.

Hershel nodded his head. "And this soil is good. We could plant some seed, grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans." After saying this his eyes drifted towards where Rick was at. "That's his third time around." He pointed out. "If there was any part of it compromised, he'd have found it by now."

A small frown started to grow on Skye's face when she heard this. She looked to where Rick was at and saw how he was checking the perimeter. She knew he was just keeping a look out, but something in the way he walked made her feel worry for him. She noticed right away though how Lori was looking worried as well. Skye however got a feeling that Lori gaze was more tension filled than hers, and she couldn't help but link that back to the way the two grown ups have been acting with each other.

Beth suddenly turned to look at Lori. She offered her a reassuring smile. "This'll be a good place to have the baby. Safe."

Lori, who had been gazing at her husband with bemusement and worry, managed to give the blonde girl a smile. Skye could tell it was somewhat forced, but she was glad the older woman was no longer looking tense. Skye knew that being stressed and filled with tension while pregnant was never a good thing.

"Bethy, sing _Paddy Reily_ for me." Hershel said to his youngest daughter. "I haven't heard that, I think, since your mother was alive. "

Maggie got a sorrowful expression. "Daddy, not that one, please." She begged.

There was a pause, before Hershel spoke up again. "How about, _The Parting Glass_?" He instead asked his daughter.

Beth lowered her blue eyes towards the ground, sheepish. "No one wants to hear."

 _I'd want to hear._

Skye thought to herself.

She liked Beth's voice. In her opinion she thought the blonde teenager was very talented.

Truth be told, Skye envied Beth for having such a good singing voice. Well to be more specific, Skye envied Beth for having such a nice voice over all. The blonde teenager just had such a nice soft spoken voice. It was the kind of voice Skye wished she had for herself. Except Skye didn't let that feeling of want ruin the type of friendship she had with Beth. She just made sure to keep that feeling locked away. It wasn't really hard, since growing up with kids that could talk made her become more strong with keeping her feelings hidden. Meaning, despite her jealousy, Skye didn't dislike Beth. She actually liked her a lot. She saw her as a older sister. It also helped out that Beth was _nice_. Especially to her. And besides, Skye was always eager to hear her sing. Her singing helped distract them from their chaotic lives and the dangers they now had to endure. She was about to sign to her to let her now she wanted to hear her sing, but Glen beat her to it.

"Why not?" Glenn interjected with a small encouraging smile.

Beth lifted up her gaze and looked around the group. Her encouragement grew more when she saw Skye eagerly nod her head. "Okay." She said as a smile started to grow on her face. She opened her mouth and Skye happily listened to her beautiful like voice.

 _Oh all the money that e'er I spent_  
 _I spent it in good company_  
 _And all the harm that e'er I've done_  
 _Alas, it was to none but me_  
 _And all I've done for want of wit_  
 _To memory now I can't recall_  
 _So fill to me the parting glass_  
 _Good night and joy be with you all_

The honey haired colored girl had been so focused with Beth's singing, that it took her a bit to notice that everyone was now around the campfire. Daryl, Carol, who had been keeping extra watch and even Rick. He was besides Lori, Carl, and her. They were all listening to lyrics of the song, but Skye was still able to witness the interactions between Rick and Lori. Yet again she was able to feel the tension between them. And it wasn't good. She glanced over towards Carl to see if he had noticed, but he had, he wasn't showing any type of reaction. She chewed the inside of her cheek, as she tried to focus on Beth's singing. She was pleasantly surprised when Maggie joined in. The older Greene sibling had a nice voice as well.

 _Oh all the comrades that e'er I've had_  
 _Are sorry for my going away_  
 _And all the sweethearts that e'er I've had_  
 _Would wish me one more day to stay_  
 _But since it falls unto my lot_  
 _That I should rise and you should not_  
 _I'll gently rise and I'll softly call_  
 _Good night and joy be with you all_  
 _Good night and joy be with you all_

"Beautiful." Hershel proudly commented once the singing was over. His tone of voice held nothing but absolute content towards his daughters.

Skye smiled and clapped for the both of them.

Beth and Maggie threw a smile her way.

"Better all turn in." Rick suddenly said catching the groups attention. It was now obvious to Skye that whatever type of distraction they had was now over. Although Rick no longer wore his sheriff's outfit, she still knew when to take what he said seriously. Especially now, as he was informing the group. "I'll take watch over there. Got a big day tomorrow."

Glenn frowned a bit. "What do you mean?"

Rick sighed, tired. "Look, I know we're all exhausted. This was a great win. But we've got to push just a little bit more." He paused and then took look around the prison before facing the group again. "Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies may be intact." He informed them. His voice lowered, now filled with aspiration. "They'd have an infirmary, a commissary."

"An armory?" Daryl asked, intrigued.

Rick nodded his head. "That would be outside the prison itself, but not too far away. Warden's office would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine." He said, listing off the things they both wanted and needed. "This place could be a gold mine."

"We're dangerously low on ammo." Hershel added his thought. "We'd run out before we make a dent."

"That's why we have to go in there...hand to hand." Rick answered back. He himself didn't like this, but it was truly the only way of clearing the space for them. "After all we've been through, we can handle it, I know it." He told the group earnestly. "These assholes don't stand a chance." He said making Carl and Skye let out a small smile. After he said this he got made his way back towards where the fence was at. But he was soon followed by Lori.

Now Skye didn't want to eavesdrop, but it was kind of hard not to. They weren't that far away from the group and besides hearing them having a heated discussion of some sorts, she could also see how emotional they were being thanks to their expressions. She noticed though how this time Carl did show a reaction towards his parents. His blue eyes were set towards the ground and his mouth was set in a despondent frown.

Skye immediately felt sad. A sense of understanding though soon went through her. She too had once been in this awkward heart wrenching position before, when she had listened to her parents argue all that while ago. Thinking it would offer him comfort, and without over thinking her embarrassment, Skye gently took a hold of Carl's hand.

Carl's eyes widen a bit. Knowing already who was holding his hand, his cheeks started to get warm. He looked towards his hand that was being held by hers. Their fingers were intertwined. He felt his stomach do some flips as he gazed up towards her. He saw how she was giving him a small smile. With that smile he was able to understand what she was trying to say. He slowly returned the smile back to her, giving her hand a squeeze. She then gently tugged on his hand indicating him to follow her towards where everyone else in the group had gone further into the now cleared field. It looked like they were all getting ready to sleep. Carl in no way objected this. His dad did say they needed their rest for tomorrow. Besides, his mom and dad were still... _talking_. So, not wanting to be close enough to hear, let alone see his parents discussing things with each other, Carl got up and followed Skye.

His cheeks became warmer the whole time they went towards the group. The reason why was because he was still holding Skye's hand, their finger intertwined with each others. Suddenly, (much to his disappointment) Skye let go of his hand. She pointed towards the grass covered ground. She then reached into her backpack that she had brought with her and pulled out two blankets. Understanding what she meant, Carl reached for one of the blankets. He made sure to give her enough room, before laying down the blanket on the ground. He was about to lay down, but he saw Skye walking towards Beth who was making her sleep area not that far away from them. With a bemused expression he watched the scene.

Skye gently tapped on Beth's shoulder. The blonde teenager turned to look at her.

 ** _"Can I request one last song?"_** Skye shyly signed to her.

Beth smiled almost immediately. "Of course. Which one you have in mind?"

Skye quickly signed back, hoping she knew the song she suggested. _**"** **Your Song** **by Elton John."**_

Beth nodded her head. "I know the song."

Skye smiled and then lead the blonde teenager back towards where Carl was at. With her blanket in hand, Beth laid it a fair distance besides Skye's, while the honey colored haired girl's blanket was next to Carl's.

Now knowing what was going on, Carl laid down on the blanket and stared up towards the star covered sky. Skye, did the same with hers and as she began staring into the stars, she heard Beth start to sing the song she had requested. The song that had such a heartfelt meaning behind it because the lyrics reminded her of her family. Especially of her dad. Even though she mainly listened to music with her older brother Will, it was her dad who introduced her to this specific _Elton John_ song. She didn't know why exactly she wanted to hear it now, but she something within her told her now would be a good time. She briefly gently touched her whistle around her neck as she listened to Beth sing the song.

 _It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside_  
 _I'm not one of those who can easily hide, I_  
 _Don't have much money but boy, if I did_  
 _I'd buy a big house where we both could live_

 _If I was a sculptor but then again, no_  
 _Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show_  
 _Oh, I know it's not much but it's the best I can do_  
 _My gift is my song_  
 _And this one's for you_

 _And you can tell everybody this is your song_  
 _It may be quite simple but now that it's done_  
 _I hope you don't mind_  
 _I hope you don't mind_  
 _That I put down in words_  
 _How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

Skye let a small smile grace her face. The song wasn't over yet, but sleep was becoming more hard to ignore. She could still hear Beth's lovely voice, but someone's voice, she believed it was Carl's, filled the night air.

"Goodnight, Skye."

A hand then gently touched hers, but by then Skye had closed her eyes and had entered into a peaceful slumber, with memories of her family in her mind.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters. I only own my OC.**_

 _ **A/N:** Hey guys! So I know it has been a while and I am so sorry! I have been focusing more on my **IT** story. However now that I am on Winter break I'm going to try to update my other stories, including this one. This chapter is small and it has nothing to do with the previous chapter, but it is a sneak peek focusing more on Negan and Skye. I've also decided to finally let you guys know why he cares so much about Skye in this chapter. Although the reason behind it really shouldn't be a surprise. ***Tehehe*** I mean, it was pretty obvious why Skye means so much to him given the other sneak peek I shared with you guys. _

_**P.S.** I don't know if you guys saw the mid-season 8 finale, but ( **spoiler** ) what the hell?! How could they kill off Carl? My heart is broken into a million pieces :( I just want to make it clear to you guys I will not being following that route in my story. Once we hit season 8 in my story I'm going to make it somewhat AU. Which means no walker bite and dying Carl. Skye and Carl deserve to be happy! _

* * *

_Mute: [noun] is when a person has no power of speech._

 ** _Chapter 10: The first time he saw her_**

He hadn't intended to stay. No he just wanted to make sure she was doing alright. Except the moment he saw her peacefully sleeping, Negan couldn't help but look at her with the softest gaze he could express. He had ended up taking a seat on the chair across from her.

This was probably the closest he has gotten to be around Skye without her throwing death glares his way. Not that he held that against her. Skye had every right to show aversion towards him.

But looking at her now...completely free from hate had him going back to memory lane.

Negan remembered the first time he saw her.

It had been way before shit hit the fan. Back when things in the world were _normal_ and people weren't eating each others faces. Now despite all the awful crap he's seen and done since the world fell apart, Negan still had a very good memory of when he first caught sight of Skye Lewis.

She had been seven years old at the time.

Seeing her for the first time something else. As was running into her mother Cecilia again as well. No matter how good Cecilia looked, Negan found the encounter with her to be less enjoyable. He never did like it when he ran into old flings. And up until then it had been seven long years since he had seen the vivacious woman. Seven long years that made him forget about the night of passion he had Cecilia Lewis. Except there was no turning back when he and Cecilia crossed paths again. The distant memory of them together came up to the surface.

Negan had first met Cecilia when he had been out for a "business trip." Although that was a lie he was used to telling his wife Lucille whenever he needed time away from her. Now Negan loved his wife. Hell, Lucille was probably the only woman he has ever truly cared for. However, despite the love he had for his wife, he was still far from being completely faithful to her. He wasn't the good husband he should have been. He knew it was wrong, but still he fooled around with other woman from time to time.

A few days before cheating on his wife with Cecilia Lewis, Lucille had given him some unfortunate news.

For months Lucille and him had been trying for a baby, but there had been no dice. It wasn't until Lucille went to the doctor that she found out the reason why hadn't gotten pregnant. And when she told Negan that she would never be able to have children something within him broke. Negan though didn't outwardly show his dismay...not to his wife at least. All did was nod and then he followed said response by telling her he needed to go on a "business trip" and that he would return back soon.

And of course it was during this so called "business trip" that he met Cecilia Lewis. One thing led to another and with the help of a few drinks he and Cecilia ended up spending the night together. Negan hadn't known much about Cecilia other than what she briefly told him while they had been talking. It was simple information really. She was married to a man named Victor and they had a boy named William. She claimed to be happily married but there she was at the same bar he had gone to, drinking away her sorrows. Maybe that's why she had caught his interest...she too was going through some type of hardship in her marriage and she needed some form of escape.

Negan never did ask Cecilia what that hardship was. No, he instead was more focused on forgetting his own sorrows of how he and his wife were never going to have children. So as a way to momentarily forget about the emotional crap he was dealing with, he slept with Cecilia.

By the time morning came, Cecilia was up and gone. No note or anything. Negan didn't go looking for her. He had no reason to. For him this was just another encounter with a random woman he would never see again.

But how wrong he was about that. Seven years later he would and that memory of him and Cecilia was now like a slap to the face. Especially once he saw the little girl Cecilia was holding hands with.

Honey colored hair...light green eyes...dimples...she looked exactly like Cecilia. Despite the resemblance to her mother there was something else about the girl that awed Negan. And even standing a few feet away from them, Negan knew. He didn't need to damn DNA test or a doctor to tell him who her father was. He automatically knew by just looking at her.

Now although he had seen her at seven years old Skye never did get a chance to see him. Cecilia had very much stopped her daughter from doing so. And then without even saying anything to him, Cecilia made a quick exit.

Much to his persuasion though that hadn't been the last time he saw Cecilia and it certainly wasn't the last time he saw Skye (although the few times he got to see her it was from a distance and he was hidden from her). Negan actually managed to track down Cecilia and got her to agree to meet up.

During this meet up he learned a few things about Skye. The most important one being that she was born mute.

She couldn't talk. Not one bit.

Now did that bother Negan? He will admit that it did at first. No parent wants their kid to be burdened with a weakness. And being mute was a weakness in his eyes. During that time, Negan used to be a high school gym teacher. He knew when bullying occurred. He too sometimes would be an ass and humiliate a student every once in a while to prove a point. However even he had his limits when it came to teasing his students.

Which is what eventually led Negan to his conclusion. So Skye was mute. She was still his. And no daughter of his would be seen as weak. She would be strong. And as he knows now, she did turn out strong.

Now even though he got that shocking news from Cecilia regarding Skye, Negan still had other questions that needed to be answered.

Now Cecilia never did verbally confirm or deny if Skye was his, but her reluctance to not answer such question was enough of an answer for Negan. Although it had been when he found out the results of Victor's the blood test that really made him more sure. With Victor not a possibility of being Skye's father that only left him. Cecilia though never did allow Negan to take the paternity test. She threatened to tell his wife and as much as Negan wanted to officially prove he was Skye's biological father, the thought of his wife finding out he got another woman pregnant (when she couldn't) was too much for him. Lucille's was a forgiving person (how could she not be with all the crap he's done to her?), but Negan knew that this news would emotionally break her enough to finally leave him. Negan didn't want that...so he left behind Skye.

He did see her one that last before he left.

The last time he saw Skye (before the world went to shit) was when she was still seven years old. She was being walked home from the park by her older brother, William. Unlike with Skye, Negan got a chance to actually meet and talk to the oldest Lewis sibling. And let's just say the boy wasn't his greatest fan. And neither was Negan, but that mostly had to do with his personality because William was lot like Victor. Now although he never got to meet Skye, Negan knew she wasn't anything like Victor's lame ass. Just like with her looks, she took after her mother's personality.

Now it wouldn't be until years later that Negan would run into Skye again. However when he saw her again she no longer was that seven year old girl he saw from afar. No, when Negan saw her again she was a teenager. She looked to be sixteen years old or so. And despite being more grown up, Negan right away recognized her.

It had been like he was looking at a teenage version of Cecilia. Seeing Skye again brought back a feeling Negan had lost along time ago. She brought him back hope. That was something he had lost the second his darling wife Lucille died.

Lucille, who he never told he had a kid with some other woman. Lucille, who had died of cancer right when those ugly bastards had started coming back to life. Lucille, his number one person who he never had the damn strength to end her suffering. Lucille, who he loved with all his heart and needed but knew he didn't truly deserve her.

And just like with Lucille, Negan knew he didn't deserve Skye's love. He knew Skye didn't care for him. Not after what he has done to the people in her group. People she considered to be her family. People who he knew she did _love_. He knew that she especially had cared for Rick's son, Carl. Which of course had left Negan feeling annoyance and displeasure. Despite her not yet knowing her blood relation to him, Negan didn't practically like the relationship she had going on with Carl.

Guessed this is what fatherly protectiveness felt like.

A knock on the bedroom door finally brought Negan out of his thoughts. He reluctantly looked away from Skye and swiftly got up from his seat. The harden expression he got from being interrupted fell a little when he opened the door and saw it was just Dwight. "Yeah?" He answered gruffly.

Dwight kept his voice steady and his own expression blank. "Carson said he has the blood test results for you."

Negan didn't say anything just nodded his head. Dwight found his lack of verbal response to be strange, but didn't comment on it. Instead the blonde nodded his head back before continuing his way down the Sanctuary hall.

Turning back around, Negan walked over to the chair and picked up his bat Lucille. He let his gaze wander over towards the sleeping Skye. He once again basked in how peaceful she looked. Negan then shook his head.

Skye hated him. Which was fine. She could hate him all she wants. The hate she was feeling for him though wouldn't drive him away from her. And once he got her see to the blood test results, maybe there was a small chance that hate would lessen...or perhaps it would grow. Negan wasn't sure, but at least then she would know the truth of who she was to him.


End file.
